Of Fate and Phoenix
by Romania Black
Summary: FINALLY UPDATED! Karin Kurosaki accidentally becomes a Shinigami and is thrust into the role alongside Toshiro Hitsugaya as they try to stop a threat by Vasto Lordes to take over the Soul Society! Chapter 62 Preview: The battle against a deadly Vasto Lorde reaches a climax for Ichigo and others, while in Hueco Mundo, Karin's barely escaped the enemy...to what ends? Enjoy!
1. Prelude: Despite our Best Wishes

Hello!

I haven't written anything in a while…mainly due to Writer's block, but in the last few months I've really gotten into the Manga Bleach! I absolutely love it…and after seeing Episode 132 on youtube, I've wanted to write a story about Karin, and HERE IT IS!

This story centers on Karin Kurosaki, but expect a LOT of the Bleach people to come in! I hope you like it. This chapter and the next are connected, so expect the next chapter to come out SOON. I hope you like this story…if you have any suggestions let me have them! I'd love to read any comments or thoughts on the tale…I have a pretty good idea where I'm going with the story though…and I think you're going to like it.

Bwhahaha, anyway, enjoy the story! And THANK YOU for reading!

Sincerely,

Romania Black

Chapter One

The Bonds of Family

Are Unbreakable

Despite our best wishes.

_My name is Karin Kurosaki…and I can't sleep._

It had been three nights in a row, and Karin Kurosaki couldn't fall asleep. She blamed it mostly on the fact that there was so much stress around the house. This was due to four events occurring at the Kurosaki household.

For one thing, Karin and Yuzu were starting Junior High tomorrow. Elementary School was over for them; not that Karin was complaining she was happy to leave behind her childhood school and move another step towards adulthood. This one step was just another towards her adult life she found her heart craving more and more each day.

Karin leaned her body to the side in her bed, her dark hair pressed against her cheek. She felt that even though she was thirteen, she was still treated like a child—

"KARRRRRIIIIIIINNNNN, SWWEEEEETHEEEARRRRTT!"

Karin pressed her eyes shut in frustration. The second thing that was causing stress for her was Isshin Kurosaki, her father. Usually, she could put up with her father's idiotic ranting, but now that she was entering Junior High School, her father had made a transformation into even more of possessive moron.

The door to Yuzu and Karin's bedroom crashed open, with Isshin bounding in, his body a flash of yellow and red zigzagged stripes. He landed promptly in front of Karin's bed.

"Sweetheart! Time to wake up!" Isshin was leaning over Karin, his dark eyes closed as his face burst into a wide grin, a smile that sickened Karin even as she glanced up at him momentarily.

"Bite me," Karin grunted, slowly retreating under her comforter.

Isshin stared at her as a small sweat drop fell on his head. Suddenly his grin grew even wider,

"I can't bite you now, sweetheart! It's time for SCHOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!" With that, Isshin grabbed the green soccer-ball-covered comforter with his hands and threw it off, exposing Karin, who immediately shriveled into the fetal position due to the cold air now shocking her skin. Her eyes flashed red as she shakily stared up at her father, whose arms were now raised high above his head, the comforter flying above his head like a parachute.

"Y-y-y-you…." Karin ground her teeth.

"No Daughter of mine," Isshin eyes were practically invisible, his smile so huge. Karin felt her blood pressure rise, the smile sickening her stomach. Isshin laughed, his deep voice resonating throughout the house, "Is going to lie in bed the day before Junior High in her Polka-Dot Underwe—"

Karin had had enough.

"VANISH TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH, IDIOT!" Flying out of bed, Karin landed a hard kick straight to her dad's neck, sending him flying out the window, glass shattering outside and landing on Isshin, who was lying face down below her on the ground.

Isshin shuddered and looked up at Karin, his face covered in scratches and small cuts. "T-t-that's my girl!" He said, to Karin's horror unaffected by her. "I knew I'd trained you well!"

"DADDY!" Yuzu screamed her brown eyes misty as she ran out the front door, her pink apron flapping in the wind. "Are you okay?"

Isshin hopped up, clasping Yuzu's shoulders with his hands, a smile permanently stuck to his face. "Of course, Dearest!" He laughed boisterously, and looked up towards Karin and Yuzu's smashed window. "NO WORRIES! Now we can just put in a new window to match the Clinic's!" He triumphantly placed his hands on his hips as Yuzu tried to coax him into the house.

"You're food's going to get cold, daddy," She frowned, looking up at Karin with a very disapproving face. Karin shrugged bluntly, _what's she expect of me?_

Karin retreated slowly from the window, walking towards her sister and her closet. Nothing had changed too much in the last two years…especially the Kurosaki family and Clinic.

The third thing was stressing Karin was the updates they were making on the house. Isshin had decided that the Clinic needed a makeover, and the clinic happened to include the entire house, which looked ransacked and battered after the battles with the Arrancar that had occurred two years ago. Karin sighed as she looked at the broken window, sliding a black T-shirt over her slim athletic figure.

_As if we didn't have enough to worry about…now dad's going to be in our room fixing this stupid window. Great…_

"Karin," Yuzu placed the plate in front of her at the table, "About time you got down here. Your food's getting cold." She frowned and scowled at her twin, Karin taking no notice as she sat down. Karin's eyes glanced to her left, and for the first time this morning she felt a small smile cross her lips.

Kon was strapped with ductape to the chair beside her, a small child's plate of food placed in front of him. Kon usually annoyed Karin to death, his careless childishness a direct contrast to Karin's take-no-prisoners mature nature, but she couldn't help but admire her twin's utter devotion to the small mod-soul, as her brother called him.

"Eat up!" Yuzu smiled, placing another spoonful of egg on Kon's plate.

The mod-soul yelled angrily at Yuzu, "I CAN'T EAT, YOU BRAT!"

Isshin silenced Kon with a smack of ductape to his mouth, "HAHAHA, WHAT AN AMAZING TALKING DOLL YOU HAVE YUZU!" Yuzu smiled in return and gave her father another plate of food.

Karin sank her cheek into her hand, her elbow resting exhaustingly on the table. She couldn't believe her twin fell for her father's "playing dumb" routine. Her father was stupid, to be sure, but she'd heard from Kon himself that her father was a Soul Reaper. She'd never actually seen this transformation in her dad, but her brother had. He didn't talk about it much; Karin figured he was disturbed by it or something. In any case, after the Arrancar incident two years ago, she was sure her dad played the role of "idiot" just to protect her and Yuzu…and it drove her nuts.

"Hey," Yuzu suddenly looked up from the table, breaking Karin's train of thought. "Where's Ichigo?"

_I figured this was a good place to quit at the moment, but stay tuned…the next chapter is coming right up!_

_We'll see Ichigo, and what's he up to? The final thing Stressing Karin Kurosaki is up next!_

_Thanks for reading,_

_Romania Black_


	2. Prelude: It's Only been Eight Years

Hello!

Only hours after putting the story up, I received two reviews! They were nice and one was actually reading along lines I'd been thinking about. Thank you Reviewers!!! I appreciated them, and the encouragement from others who have favorite-ed the story.

This chapter was originally supposed to be tagged along with the other, but I decided to separate it, to keep the story from getting too long in one chapter. I hope you like it.

By the way, I don't own Bleach! But, I do want to meet Tite Kubo…. Oh, we can dream. : P

Enjoy the story! And THANK YOU for reading!

Sincerely,

Romania Black

**_Chapter Two_**

**_Every Beginning comes from some other Beginning's End._**

Karin hadn't considered her brother even in the morning equation until Yuzu's mentioning, but before she could even answer a loud stomping down the stairs answered the question.

Two years hadn't altered Ichigo's physical appearance much, but the hardships on his soul were evident even to those like Yuzu who hadn't been involved in the skirmish two years prior. His scowl was ever more present, the light brown eyes constantly looking sternly ahead, his face only smiling sarcastically, but even then it was almost withdrawn. Oddly enough, there was almost a softness there that hadn't been before, as if his compassion was at a constant war with the consuming gloom that maintained a stable grip on his facial emotions. In either case, the Soul Reaper war had done a number on her brother, in more ways than one. She sort of hated Soul Society for the change her brother had been through, even though she knew they were the good guys.

"Morning, Ichigo!" Yuzu carefully dropped a plate in front of her brother, who regarded it indifferently as he started eating. Karin's eyes lingered on her sister's saddened expression, but didn't offer any hints to her unmannerly brother.

Her father did a great job in that department.

"Ichigo!" Isshin's voice broke the silence that surrounded them, save for the clanking of Ichigo's fork on the china. Ichigo glanced up to see his father regarding him with a childish grin, but his eyes were softer. "Yuzu went to a lot of trouble to make you that." His voice had lost a little of its idiotic zaniness, enough for Karin to definitely take notice.

For a second Karin didn't know if her brother was going to start attacking Isshin or not, but instead, he merely turned in his seat to Yuzu; Karin couldn't see his expression.

"Sorry, Yuzu," Ichigo's voice was bland, but sincere, "It's great, really." He raised a hand slowly to scratch the back of his head, "I'm just out of it today."

_You've been out of it everyday the last two years, _Karin noted sternly to herself, biting into a piece of bacon noisily.

"It's okay, Ichigo," Yuzu replied, but her voice started to break as she talked. Karin glanced at her curiously, then her eyes widened in understanding as Yuzu continued, "It's j-j-just that this will b-be your last m-m-meal here at home with---with—with--," Karin braced herself, "US!" She bawled, collapsing into her brother's arms.

Ichigo frowned and held his sister. Karin tried to ignore the scene as she crunched on her bacon, avoiding the frantic movements of Kon, who was trying to pry the ductape off his mouth, and Isshin, who was trying to keep it on.

"Yuzu," He said quietly, his eyes glancing towards the oven. Yuzu sniffled in his arms as he continued, "It's okay…It's not like I'm never going to eat here again!" He said in his best attempt to be cheery, but all this accomplished was make Yuzu start to sob again. He glanced at Karin, who was looking at him with an expression that stated simply _Worst Brother of the Year. _He sighed heavily and propped his sister's head in his palm, her crying eyes now facing him. "Hey, listen to me, Yuzu," his voice was gentler, the eyes softer. Yuzu lifted her gaze to meet his, "I promise you this will not be the last time I eat here…in fact, I'll probably eat here loads of times."

"THAT'S RIGHT, DARLING DAUGHTER!" Isshin was not shoving Kon practically into the wood of the seat, "Ichigo's going off to College, but he'll be in a lot while he's away!" Isshin's eyes narrowed sneakily, "He won't have the money to buy food anywhere else but here! BWAHAA!"

Ichigo's face turned scarlet for a second, "DAD! What makes you think I'm going to PAY TO EAT HERE?!?" He released Yuzu and started a fistfight with Isshin over the table, which was nothing new at the Kurosaki household. As the two fought, Yuzu sniffled and stood up out of Ichigo's seat, her eyes stopping both of the men for a moment.

"Ichigo…" Yuzu said quietly, and the two stared at each other, "You…promise you'll come and eat with us?"

Ichigo's face gave off a closed, small smile, "Promise, Yuzu."

There was a rare moment of silence in the house, serene, almost peaceful…

"GUARD DOWN!" Isshin kicked Ichigo in the back, knocking him over. Ichigo, however, bounced back immediately, cursing and throwing punches at his father who retreated to the other side of the table, knocking the chair with a still tied up Kon to the ground. Karin sighed and shoved her plate from her.

"Typical," She sadly breathed, and Yuzu reluctantly took the dish from the table. "I wonder if it's too late to be adopted," Karin sighed, her cheek buried in her propped up palm.

Yuzu scowled sheepishly, "Don't say that, Karin," She wiped her eyes, which were still a little misty, "I can't lose you too."

Normally, Karin the words wouldn't have hit her hard; she would have replied that her brother was just going to college, and that it was no big deal. It would be a move across town at the most, and that she should stop whining.

But she couldn't say that. Not now.

The final thing that had stressed her this last week was the realization of her brother's future.

Karin wasn't a fool, and knew enough about Ichigo to know he wasn't going to college. She knew these last two years had simply been for Ichigo to get his high School diploma so everything looked legit, then he was off to the Soul Society, or wherever he was going to battle Hollows. It was as simple as that. This information wouldn't normally bother her either, but the sudden seriousness of his voice that had occurred these last few months gave her caution. It was if her brother was preparing for a life or death battle; with what she had no idea. _Who was left to fight? Other than normal hollows?_

Isshin's voice took her out of her temporary daze. "Oh mother," he was leaned against the giant poster of Masaki, despite years of complaining and persistent begging, was still attached to the wall, "our son is finally off to get his higher education…where did the years go? Ten years flies by so fa---"

Ichigo's foot collided with his side, sending him flying across the room.

"IDIOT! IT'S ONLY BEEN EIGHT YEARS!" His furious tone rang through the kitchen, "God, still wrong…." Ichigo adjusted the red tie around his neck and shoved his hands into the thin pockets of his blue slacks. "I'm going to finish packing." With that, he leapt up the stairs to his room and out of sight. Karin's eyes trailed his figure, slight admiration in her dark blue-gray eyes.

Yuzu was back at her dad's side, "Are you okay, Daddy?"

Isshin was on his knees, hugging his daughter by the waist, "Why do they hate me so much, dearest daughter?" He sighed, dry sobbing over-dramatically into his daughter's egg-stained apron. Karin groaned and rose out of her seat.

Yuzu frowned at her sister, "Where are you going? Ichigo's going to be finished packing soon…don't you want to see him off?" Her eyes started to tear up again.

Karin sighed heavily and scoffed at her sister, "I'm not going anywhere…just…. to see if Ichigo needs anything."

**And that's the chapter! It ended up being even longer than I planned!**

**Next up, Where exactly is Ichigo going? And who's going with him?**

**And what does Karin think about it?**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Feel free to lend any comments or suggestions!**

**THANK YOU FOR READING,**

**Romania Black**


	3. Prelude: Not One for Playing Dumb

Hello!

Well, first off THANK YOU for all the wonderful comments and suggestions! They totally helped me get this chapter up and running! I have a few notes for you readers real quick:

Yes, there will be some romance in this (quite a bit actually) and couples will emerge, change, etc…I have some neat ideas. It'll just take a little bit for them to "flesh out" so to speak.

After writing this, I'll have to expand it to yet another chapter…. Damn. I was hoping to get done with Ichigo/Karin's dialogue this chapter and move on, but I can't…it has to go on to the next one. You'll see what I'm talking about after reading.

By the way, I don't own Bleach! But, I do want to meet Tite Kubo…. I have some ideas for him. :P

Enjoy the story! And THANK YOU for reading!

Sincerely,

Romania Black

**_Chapter Three_**

**_Where I go, you cannot follow…yet. _**

Karin climbed the steps and found herself at Ichigo's bedroom doorway. Leaning against the wood grain molding of the opened door, she glanced as her brother tossed clothes into a cardboard box. Karin's eyes narrowed. No packing, no organizing, no folding even…just shoving the clothes carelessly into the large cardboard container. It was as if he didn't even care what became of them…

"Normally, people use suitcases," Karin's voice slithered. Ichigo glanced up with a slightly surprised expression, but she knew he'd sensed her coming.

"Ah, the suitcase is buried in the closet…I…." He seemed at a loss for words.

"Don't need to worry I'm sure," Karin closed the door behind her slowly, "my question is where are you stuffing all your junk?" She looked around at the many boxes taped shut sitting on the ground. Ichigo eyed her considerately,

"What do you mean, where am I stuffing—" His voice picked up in irritation, "I'm going to put it where I live—"

Karin was an inch from his body, her eyes flaring, "Don't play dumb!" She frowned, her words snapping his mouth shut. "I'm not stupid…you think you can hide these things from me," She said softly, her voice grim. "I know you're not going to college, and I know you're not living in town," almost a whisper now, "So tell me Ichigo," She stared into his hazel brown eyes, that had a stiff stern gaze, "_Where_ are you going?"

Ichigo didn't look as if he was unsure, just that he didn't want to reply. Karin's body stiffened, angered at her brother's resilience. She knew she'd get him to talk, she'd—

Suddenly, there was a muffled sound, almost as if someone was mumbling into a pillow. Karin swiveled her head around, _What was that? _She didn't look at Ichigo now, but rather at his closet, where she realized the noise was emitting from.

Karin slowly turned to her brother, who was looking down at her as if she was crazy, "What was that, Ichigo?" She muttered, her eyebrow raised.

Ichigo scratched the back of his head in his typical faux-innocent fashion, "What? I didn't hear anything," his eyes narrowing, but Karin wasn't the type to be put off from her brother's harsh stares.

"Don't 'What' me," Karin hissed, moving towards the closet.

"Karin—" Ichigo reached his hands toward her suddenly, his face panicked.

"Shut it," Karin was walking faster, not even gazing at her brother rushing towards her, "You could have told me she was here, dummy, now quit hiding," Her hand was already opening the closet door, before Ichigo could stop her, "Ruk—

There was a flash of black, her brother's groan of frustration, and a figure was suddenly wrapped around Karin's head, its soft flesh pounding against her. Karin flailed her arms wildly, her yell of surprise muffled by the object as she fell hard against the wooden floor. She let out a cry of pain and used her legs to quickly pry the thing off of her, her arms now touching something hard and sharp, but smooth and slimy…almost like…. teeth.

Blood now rising to her face, she flung in disgust the thing from her and gasped a large gulp of air; her breath had been cut off from the object's body. Panting, she looked up, her dark eyes widening in surprise.

"—kia," she finished in a hollow breath.

It wasn't Rukia at all, but rather a small child. A child in a ratty burlap sack-dress with a hood, pale skin, bright aqua green hair that was short and choppy, and the largest honey-brown eyes she'd ever seen. The only thing that kept her from resembling a "normal" child was the large red streak that ran across the bridge of her nose and cheeks, and the large cracked remnant of a skull with ram horns that adorned her head.

"Nel," Karin breathed her eyes still wide in shock.

"Rukia?" Nel's eyebrows furrowed as her little arms crossed at her chest, her bottom lip swelling, "I'm not her, sillies."

Karin slowly rose to her feet; her eyes still on the child.

"What's da matter," Nel's child eyes were large and round, "Doncha remember Nel, Karry?" Nel's rubbed her cheeks with her chubby fists.

Karin, or Karry as Nel loved to call her, couldn't forget the face of that brat. She had fought alongside them in Karakura Town against Aizen's forces, even against her own brethren Arrancars. Karin looked at her brother out of the corner of her eye. Nel, or Neliel Tu Oderschvank as she was actually known, had risked everything she had for Ichigo so she heard, even her own life to save him. She had no clue how a mere child had done it, but she had. During the battle she mostly stayed along side the pink haired pixie-looking Yachiru, whom Karin didn't know much about aside from her name. She had never seen Nel battle before, but once witnessed her other abilities in her child-like state…

Nel glanced hesitantly at Ichigo, apologetically, her face breaking into a large nervous smile. "I'm sorry, Itsygo," Her lisp keeping her from saying his name properly, "I didn't menta say any words, but I was hot in theres." She babbled, clutching onto his leg.

Ichigo regarded her with a scowl for a moment, and Karin couldn't truly tell if he was upset or not. He bent down, however, and patted Nel's head, or in this case the mask on her head. "It's okay, Nel. You didn't mean to."

At this, Nel instantly looked happier, her small arms squeezing his leg tighter, "Ooh, thankies Itsygo!" She burst, "I knews you weren't mad!"

Karin wondered how the hell he put up with her child-like vocabulary. It was already starting to annoy her. She wondered for that matter why the hell Ichigo let Nel go anywhere with him in the first place; she seemed more of a burden than help. "So how long's the kid been hiding in your room?" She glared at her brother, her arms now crossed at her chest in annoyance.

Nel frowned at her, "Silly Karry!" She said stubbornly, "Nel's been here only one night! You think I could stay in that closet any longer?" she huffed, her eyes narrowed at Karin, "And I'm not a kid, I'm older than you."

"Big deal," Karin rolled her eyes, "My dad's way older than me but has the maturity of a preschooler still." She wasn't very tall, but Karin still towered over Nel, "It doesn't change you being a 'kid' to me, if that's what you're suggesting." To this, Nel's face puffed up in a pout, but Ichigo's hard stare stopped Karin from talking any further. His eyes clearly told her to _drop it. _

"Karin," Ichigo's voice was stern, harsher than before. "Nel's here because she's going with me."

A strong silence followed his words.

Karin felt her lips tighten, not frowning but not smiling either. The only sounds she heard for a moment was the slightest clanking of dishes downstairs and the quiet tug as Nel gripped Ichigo's pant leg tighter.

"So I take it," Karin sighed, looking away from the two towards the ground, "That you're not going to college then."

"No."

His reply was shorter and cut deeper than Karin had expected.

"College?" Nel inquired curiously, breaking the long silence, "What's that?" She glanced up at Ichigo, who didn't answer; his eyes still intently focused on his sister.

"It's somewhere you're not going," Karin answered quietly for him, walking past them towards the door. She gripped the knob to open it, before her brother's words stopped her in her tracks.

"You," she wasn't facing Ichigo, but his words sounded surprised. "You aren't going to ask where we're going?" Ichigo tilted his head to the side a little, Nel quietly sucking her thumb below him.

Karin turned around, and Ichigo saw her face was as pale and smooth as stone, "Why? I already know where you're going," She frowned, "You're going to the Soul Society." Her eyebrows came together angrily, "Don't play dumb with me brother…I'm not stupid like our father, or naïve like Yuzu."

"I never said you were," Ichigo frowned. "And Yuzu and father aren't completely stupid or naïve either you know," he corrected her, returning to his bed to shut the top of the cardboard box. Nel was at his side, looking up at him inquisitively.

"They do a good job at playing dumb," Karin swiftly replied, turning the doorknob to open the door. She just wanted to leave, she was so mad at him.

She was mad, not just at the fact that he was leaving her, and Yuzu, and their father, and it wasn't just the fact that Nel was involved. She could care less if Nel was, even if she had never understood why Ichigo insisted the child follow him wherever he went. And she wasn't mad he wasn't taking her with him; she knew she had to stay in Karakura Town. What made her mad was that he wasn't telling her where he was going…he just expected her to accept any story he gave and then—

"I'm not going to the Soul Society."

She paused, the door half-open, her face leaning out into the hallway. She paused and turned around, seeing her brother standing sternly in the middle of his room amidst cardboard boxes and a sitting Nel on his bed. Her arm was cradling the edge of one of the boxes.

Karin didn't know what to say at first. She stared at her brother's calm, but still scowling face. "You're…_not_ going to Soul Society?"

"Of course not," Ichigo said casually, and his eyes fell behind him to Nel for a second before returning to the confused gaze of his sister. "Do you really think they'd let Nel into Soul Society?"

Karin considered his words. Nel was an Arrancar, actually a former Arrancar officer known as an Espada and she was dangerous from what she'd heard. Still in her child-like state, Karin couldn't imagine her doing any harm. _Hadn't she assisted them in the battle before?_

"Soul Society may have become a little more lax as of late," Ichigo continued, "But they'd never let Nel into their midst, much less let her leave without being hurt."

"So what then?" Karin countered, her body outstretched toward him from the door, but her hand still on the doorknob. "So she can't go to soul society with you…then where are you going Ichigo?" He looked away from her. "Don't do that!" She yelled, slamming the door shut and walking towards him. She was in his face, Nel at her leg, trying to push her away, but Karin didn't budge.

"Karin…You wouldn't—"

"What?!?" Karin's face burned, "I wouldn't understand? You think I haven't seen enough already to understand?" She shoved him away from her and walked back, not sure why she'd left her place at the door to begin with. "I've seen Arrancars, and Soul Reapers and Hollows," She felt her face grow hotter, but she refused to let her eyes mist, "And you don't think I'd understand—"

"I'm going to the Hollow World."

Karin blinked; her eyes had been shut tight in anger a moment before, but now they were wide open and staring at her brother, who looked more exhausted at her than anything.

"What did you say?"

**I hate cliffhangers like that, but this chapter was getting too long for me…*sigh* No worries, (unless I spelled Nel's actual name wrong…blah, what a last name!) Next chapter will be here sooner than you think. I'm in a writing mood, so that's a good sign! **

**Next Chapter, What's Hollow World? Ichigo has a job for Karin, but she doesn't want to do it…well she does…. You'll see. Next chapter to be here ASAP! **

**THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. If you have any suggestions/comments, don't hesitate to send them in! ******

**Cheers,**

**Romania Black**


	4. Prelude: Clear Cut Answers

Hello!

Wow, this chapter ended up coming out a LOT sooner than expected! Yay! I have you readers to thank for this enthusiastic burst of writing! I know pretty much how I want the next two-three chapters laid out, so I'm going to start on them as soon as possible. I should be working on other things…buuuuut…I like this more! Haha

One Author's note though:

There is a little cursing in this chapter…nothing major, or at least, nothing I saw worthy of raising the rating up. If cursing does increase or become more "colorful", (I'm thinking it will later on) I will change the rating. For now, it's still K+.

By the way, I don't own Bleach! But, I do want to meet Tite Kubo…. I have some ideas for him. : P

Enjoy the story! And THANK YOU for reading!

Sincerely,

Romania Black

**Chapter Four**

Clear Cut Answers are Just Cleverly Spun Deceptions.

Karin stared at Ichigo, her eyebrows high and eyes wide. "What did you say?" She repeated, but was certain he'd heard her the first time.

Ichigo opened his mouth to reply, but as he did Yuzu opened the door to his room. Ichigo quickly silenced himself and Karin spun around angrily. "Yuzu!" She couldn't believe this. _Of all the bad timing--!_

"Are you two okay?" Yuzu shakily replied; staring concerned at Karin who had just reacted as if Yuzu had blew up a building. "I heard someone yelling…"

"We're fine!" Karin interjected harshly. _Why, now, of all times does she have to but in? I need some answers! Dammit, Yuzu…_

Nel's face suddenly flashed in Karin's mind, and for a moment she sensed her body and mind start to panic_. _Yuzu could see Hollows and most spirits of limited spiritual pressure, _So if she sees Nel—_Her eyes darted to Ichigo's bed. Luckily, Nel had quickly hid under Ichigo's bed, out of sight.

"Are you sure?" Yuzu's face was now blushing, turning a tinged pink shade. "You sound really upset—"

"What's the matter with my girls?" Isshin jumped in the doorway, tripping over a cardboard box and landing on his face in front of Ichigo and Karin, who both had sweat drops and identical irritated expressions; Yuzu simply sighed.

"Nothing," Ichigo sternly replied, as Isshin jumped to his feet. "I was just going to have Karin help me out here in a minute." Karin spun around to face her brother, who was staring at her as if expecting the reaction, his brown eyes gleaming.

"I—" Karin stammered.

"OH-HO!" Isshin roared; slapping Karin on the back so hard it almost knocked her over. Karin gritted her teeth and rubbed her rapidly becoming sore back. "Sister's decided to step in and help Ichigo! WONDERFUL, ISN'T IT YUZU?!?" He grabbed Yuzu, who still looked confused if not rattled from her sister's angry response, and began to drag her out of the room.

"Daddy--!" Yuzu struggled timidly against her father's bear-like grip.

"No time, Yuzu! Ichigo can get Karin to help him while we commence preparations for the KUROSAKI FAMILY MOVING OUT FOR HIGHER EDUCATION QUEST EXTRAVAGANZA CELEBRATION!" Isshin bellowed as he sped down the stairs, his daughter muttering incomprehensive arguments while fighting his hold on her.

Karin waited until their voices were no longer near them before she turned to her brother, her hand still stroking her lower back.

"I think I hate him," Karin decided, stretching her back, only to slump over in pain again. Ichigo scoffed at her, walking towards the window.

"He knew we were talking about Soul Reaper business," He replied with a grim expression. "That's why he hauled Yuzu out of here as soon as he did," He stared down at the bed and sighed, "You can come out Nel."

Nel's aqua green hair and bone mask popped from the bottom of the bed, her wide eyes scanning the room. "Dat loud man's sure scary…"

Karin's gaze sharpened on her brother, "Don't change the subject, Ichigo." He was probably right about her dad, but she'd settle with "goat-beard," her _affectionate_ nickname for him, later, "What's this Hollow World you're talking about?"

Ichigo didn't look at her; his eyes were staring out the window, as if into the sky. Karin waited patiently for a moment for him to answer. Nel stared at Ichigo as well, the only sounds coming from her being the small rattle of her childish breathing.

"It's exactly as it sounds," Ichigo said quietly. "Nel and I are going there to start training." He lifted the cardboard box of clothes off his bed.

Karin's mind was blank suddenly. "Training?" She found herself standing straighter than she thought she could, her right hand still resting on the small of her back, "Training for what?" _There hadn't been too many hollows here as of late…and the Espada were gone…right?_

"I can't tell you right now," Ichigo stated, "If you want to help me," He handed her the heavy box of clothes, which she nearly dropped, "Take this to Kisuke's."

"_What_?" Karin asked angrily, "What do you mean you can't tell me—" It suddenly registered what he'd just asked her, "Kisuke?"

"Kisuke Urahara," Ichigo replied slowly, raising an eyebrow in a _you-know-him-I-hop_e fashion. "Remember--?"

"I know who he is!" Karin exclaimed heatedly, her eyes glaring.

"Good," Ichigo patted Karin unconventionally on the shoulder. "Take this to him and tell him to send help to get the rest of them."

Karin stared dumbstruck, "Rest of what?"

"The boxes," Ichigo pointed to the cardboard containers surrounding them. "If Yuzu's going to believe I'm really going to college, I have to take everything out of my room," He taped shut another box as he talked, Nel handing him tape from his desk. "But I don't have anywhere in mind to put all this stuff, so I figured I'd let Kisuke store it."

"He'll let you dump your trash there?" Karin asked skeptically.

Ichigo's face reddened, "It's not all trash!" He stopped and allowed his face to calm down, smirking slightly, "Yeah, he'll let me store it there, no doubts."

"Why do I have to go and be your messenger then?" Karin shifted the weight from one leg to the next as she rested the box on her hip, "Why not go get the help yourself?"

Ichigo glanced at his sister exhaustingly. _Sometimes_, he thought, _she asks too many damn questions._ "Because, one, if I leave, dad and Yuzu will have a high-speed come apart, and secondly," at this he smirked a little more, "Because you know employees better than I do."

**Ah, it feels great having that end the way I wanted it to…I originally wanted it to end in the previous chapter, but I don't like my chapters at 3,000 words (unless necessary) so I split it up. If it would be a long time between writings I won't do that though…luckily, these last two chapters happened really quick and were easier for me to write, so hoorah!**

**Next chapter is going to be a little different. We're going to step away from the "Real World" for a moment, and have an interlude with a character or two that will play a MAJOR role down the road for our Miss Kurosaki! **

**I hope you enjoy it! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING! (And for the wonderful Comments!) I'm very grateful for them!**

**Cheers,**

**Romania Black**


	5. Of Loneliness and Solitude

Hello!

My Internet was out for three days in a row, so I just am now getting to upload! THANK YOU for the reviews! Special note to Kage, your review was great…and we're on the same wavelength so far I do believe.

Just some quick notes:

I'm a Urahara/Ukitake fan girl…yes, dreamy older dudes. bwaha, but I do like Hitsugaya a LOT as a character, so expect him…and a whole LOT of other amazing Bleach men to make appearances throughout the story.

While this IS a Karin-centered Bleach story, I want to expand it to include as much of the Bleach world as possible. What I love about Tite Kubo is that he makes the world of Bleach so "whole" in that you can focus on more than just one character's story. This is mainly about Karin's story, but there will be other interludes with Bleach characters…if you have a fave, comment on the story and let me know! 

I just got Season 2 of Bleach on DVD, and Episode 33 has definitely inspired me for some future chapters! Except **NO** Don Kononji…blah, he's the Jar Jar Binks of Bleach. ^_^

By the way, I don't own Bleach! But, I do want to meet Tite Kubo…. I have some ideas for him. : P

Enjoy the story! And THANK YOU for reading!

Sincerely,

Romania Black

**_Chapter Five_**

**_If I ran my hand through your hair, would it be like the water?_**

_Eternal night. The nights here feel like they last forever, longer and longer until the morning breaks the thinning line of the horizon…_

Toshinkai, the 62nd district of the Rukongai, a place that was known for it's cold winds and constant state of perpetual winter-like snowy terrain that only seemed to vanish and give way to the brown, deadening grass underneath in the fall months. The place was mostly a wasteland, where no one usually treads. Even the locals who had lived there for centuries rarely left the warmth of their shelters. Because of this, there were hardly any Soul Reapers that joined the academy from this district, nor were there hordes of visitors to the region. Mostly, the area was barren, and quiet.

A perfect place for someone to find solitude.

In the western region of Toshinkai, there were hot springs. Of course, "hot" in this case, meant warm enough to not freeze over. Because the water was still so cold, people rarely visited the springs except to fish. However, the springs were not large enough to keep the fish population at a steady rise, and it had been years since a single fish had swam in its currents.

But Toshiro Hitsugaya didn't care if there were fish in springs or not.

_Toshinkai…_

Toshiro relaxed on his back in the water, his bare chest rising above its surface slowly, the water dripping off and forming into tiny ice crystals sticking to his skin. He loved the cold; it almost seemed part of his soul, the biting numbness tickling his fingertips, giving an icy burn to his nerves.

_I wonder if I was named for this place, _the young captain mused to himself, his eyes staring off into the sky above him. It was pitch-black, except for the tiny twinkling specks scattered in the night air. Toshiro sighed and tilted his head back into the black liquid of the springs, letting the water rise to his forehead. _It seems almost made for me…_

His eyes drifted to the spring's edge, where his black robes lay in a small heap, the white captain's robe on top of them. Above those rest his silver cellular phone he'd found he had a habit of keeping on him even after returning to the Soul Society. It hadn't gone off today, a rare occasion that made Toshiro feel even more at peace with himself.

Then there was Hyorinmaru, slumbering in its sealed state, the sword resting on the pile of robes, the edge of the sheath nearly touching the surface of the silvery black water. It was almost as if the sword wanted to join Toshiro in the cold water, as if the ice dragon wanted to be released into the icy wilderness surrounding him.

Toshiro smirked to himself as he tore his eyes away from his Zanpaktou. _He'd only freeze the water, _the 10th Division captain mused.

The captain ran his hand across the water's surface, watching the ripples that formed around his fingers and rebounded in waves scattering away from him. It was a weird sensation, the water running across his skin like a thin sheet of invisible silk. He was constantly amazed by how it engulfed the senses, to where you couldn't exactly tell what it felt like. He gripped the water with his hand and lifted it out, drops falling back into the pool and some crystallizing before they could reach the skimmed edge again. As many times, as he would try, Toshiro had never been able to grab a handful of water and keep it from slipping through his fingers.

He lowered his hands to the water's edge again, letting it run across the surface gracefully.

His mind drifted away from the ice, from Hyorinmaru, from Toshinkai altogether, to her. He could picture her now perfectly, her pale hands drawn up defensively to her chest, her wrists bent at a slight angle, her black hair pulled into a small bun, the blue fabric covering it…

_I wonder if her hair feels like this water, _Toshiro glanced at his hand, the water sliding off of it in tiny rivers.

**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**

"ACK!" Toshiro flounced in the water for a second, thrown off guard by the insensitive alarm of his cell phone. "Of all times!" He scowled, drifting towards the edge of the springs. He lifted his arm over the edge, across the rocks and grabbed the cell phone, flipping it open to stop the beeping. _So much for my day of peace…_He pressed it to his ear. "Captain Hitsugaya speaking."

The rough voice on the other end of the line surprised him. "Toshiro? You there?"

"Vice-Captain, Abarai?"

"Are you busy at the moment, Captain?" the Vice-Captain's voice sounded serious; Toshiro slowly rose out of the cold water, grabbing his robes.

"No," He stated hesitantly, quickly dressing, the phone resting on his shoulder as he tied the white sash around his waist, "I'm not near the Sereitai though. Is it urgent?"

"Afraid so," the voice grew grimmer. "Do you think you can make it back soon?"

Toshiro glanced down at his Zanpaktou still lying near the water's edge. "Of course," He stated bluntly, the Captain's white robe sliding over his slender shoulders.

"All right," The Vice Captain's voice let out a small deep sigh, "Meet me at Captain Kuchiki's manor immediately then."

"As you wish; Captain Hitsugaya out." Toshiro let the phone close in his hand, then slid it into the right pocket of his robes. He slowly stepped towards his sword, but his eyes focused on the cold waters of the spring.

_If I ran my hand through your hair, would it be like water? _

The deep humming of Hyorinmaru snapped him back to reality. Toshiro gripped the sword with his hand and unsheathed the blade with a slicing flash. "What am I thinking, Hyorinmaru?" He asked aloud, mostly agitated at himself as the icy air was filled with the fierce roar of his Zanpaktou.

Byakuya Kuchiki's manor was almost silent; only the inconsistent bleeps of crickets outside gave it any sense that it was existent. The manor itself was beautiful, covered in finely crafted woods and varnish, with antique heirlooms and possessions to fetch the eye of any visitor that walked through its facility. But the home itself was like a large hollow shell; there was no warmth to its walls, only an unsettled cold, as if someone had meant to liven the home once, but had never finished. There were no voices filling the many rooms of the manor either, only the tapping of Captain Hitsugaya's feet on the wood panel floors.

_Which room did he say? _The young Captain pondered to himself as he glanced from room to room on either side of him. He didn't mind the cold, but this house had more of an unsettling feeling to it than just its temperature. The house felt of… loneliness.

Finally, Toshiro turned the corner, and found the right room. There were shelves of books against the walls, most of the books looked dusty and unread. At the center was a box-like computer that rose four feet off the ground, a pale hand tapping on its screen. Connected to the hand, the young Captain recognized Captain Kuchiki, his face glowering as usual, black hair pulled in the traditional Kuchiki silver clip.

Vice Captain Renji Abarai stood behind him, his face concentrated on what his Captain was doing. Byakuya slowly gazed upward, his gray eyes focusing on Toshiro.

"Greetings, Captain Hitsugaya," He said coolly, his voice deep and firm.

"Toshiro," Renji acknowledged. Normally, Toshiro would have corrected him for not referring to him as 'Captain Hitsugaya,' but he let it only slide because Kuchiki was there, and he didn't want to make a scene.

"I see you've put Ukitake's computer he gave you into effect," Toshiro joined Byakuya's side, seemingly dwarfed by the Captain and Vice Captain.

"So it would seem," Byakuya turned back toward the computer's screen, its yellow-white glow casting shadows across the Captain's face. He frowned, "Has my Vice Captain informed you of the situation?"

"No," Toshiro tried to glance at the screen of the computer, but it was tilted just so Byakuya could see it; all Toshiro saw was a white blinding glare. He noticed the room seemed a little darker than the others he'd been in while inside the mansion. "Situation? What kind of situation?" He raised a white eyebrow.

"We've been tracking Hollow activity since Aizen vanished," Renji said with a frown, looking at the computer screen as well. "Just to make sure any Arrancars didn't spring up from the aftermath. The Destruction of the Hogyoku left a lot of speculation on the table for what would happen to Hueco Mundos, the Hollow World."

Toshiro gave Renji a startled scowl; "Hueco Mundo is still reachable from here? I thought it was closed off."

Renji turned to the young Captain, his brows tilting upward in an upset expression, "That's what the Captain General wants everyone to think, but he's informed myself and Captain Byakuya along with Captain Ukitake and Captain Shunsui that Hueco Mundo is still operational."

Toshiro didn't know whether to be offended that he wasn't let in the 'loop' with this information, or that he couldn't see the computer screen that Byakuya seemed obsessed with. In the case of the first, he concluded immediately that Renji only knew because Byakuya let him.

"So," Toshiro sighed, closing his eyes, "So someone can get to Hueco Mundo if they wanted to and had the means…how does it affect us?"

Byakuya frowned deeper, his eyes not leaving the screen, "Because it means if we can get into Hueco Mundo, something in Hueco Mundo could get here."

Toshiro's eyes opened, the teal irises tracing Byakuya's tense face. Suddenly the computer's purpose became clearer. "So you're saying that there are Arrancar leaving Hueco Mundo?"

"There hadn't been since Aizen's disappearance," Renji said, turning to Toshiro, "But the spiritual pressure coming from Hueco Mundo's edges have started to transfer to the Real World." Renji's brows furrowed, "It seems that even though Aizen isn't after Karakura Town any longer, it still has enough spiritual pressure amassing to attract Hollow attention."

Toshiro crossed his arms, "That shouldn't come to much of a surprise though. Ichigo Kurosaki, as well as Urahara Kisuke, former Kido Corps Captain Tessai, and the Vizards for that matter are still there. Why should a Hollow getting to the Real World bring up so much importance?"

"Hollows aren't the issue," Byakuya's frown became more of a sneer, "Vasto Lordes _are_."

Toshiro felt every bone in his body turn to ice; "We're dealing with Vasto Lordes? I thought Aizen said that he destroyed—"

"Who's to say he did?" Renji interjected, despite Byakuya's scowl at his rudeness. "Aizen may have been lying when he said all the Vasto Lordes were either destroyed or under his control. That's not the issue." Renji turned to his Captain, who nodded as if to let him continue. "The point is, we can't have the spiritual pressure of something that huge loose on Karakura Town. It would—"

"Wipe it out in an instant," Toshiro finished the sentence, his finger tracing his chin, "So, what is the computer doing then?"

"It's checking to see when Hueco Mundo's barrier's grow weak enough for a Menos level or higher Hollow to appear," Renji explained, his tattooed arms crossed at his chest.

Just then, the computer screen flashed pink. Renji and Toshiro's eyes darted to Byakuya, whose eyes widened slightly. He shot a glance to Renji, who stiffened, his arms dropping to his sides.

"Send word to Captain Izuru, and tell him to prepare his Vice Captain for travel to the Real World," Byakuya turned to Toshiro, "Captain Hitsugaya, can you gather Vice Captain Matsumoto, and Vice Captain Hinamori for travel?"

Toshiro glanced away for a second. _Rangiku…_

"Captain?" Byakuya's voice was cool, but his eyes had narrowed considerably, a move that symbolized his irritation.

Toshiro snapped his head up towards the Captain, his head immediately lowering after seeing Captain Byakuya's expression, "Apologies, Captain." He lifted his head, "I will see to it immediately."

The young Captain fled the room quickly, his feet tapping even after he'd left Renji and Byakuya's sight. Renji stared toward his Captain with a slightly concerned expression.

"Is there a problem with my orders, Vice Captain Abarai?" Byakuya raised his eyebrows slightly.

Renji shook his head, but frowned deeper, "No, Captain, I was just curious." He started to leave the room, and at the last moment turned back toward the Captain, his hand latching onto the doorframe, "Are you planning to travel with us to the Real World as well?"

Byakuya gave his protégé a stern stare, his gray eyes lingering on him considerately.

"Of course," the Captain's gray eyes were cold, "Do you think I would let my sister-in-law travel to the Real World without me?"

**And that's the chapter! How did you like the transition from Toshiro by himself to the Kuchiki manor? I thought the zigzag lines worked. anyway…**

**Next Chapter: **

**Back to Karakura town! Urahara Shoten's a happening place, especially when Soul Reapers show up for battle!**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter! If you have any suggestions or comments, send 'em in! : D **

**THANK YOU,**

**Romania Black**


	6. The Real Karakura Red

Hello!

It's going to be a rough week next week…my obligations to the "real world" have doubled, so it'll be harder finding writing time, BUT I promise it'll be quicker than the break we had between these two chapters!

I hope you all like the story so far! ^_^

Just two quick notes:

1. Egad…my chapters are getting longer! Heh heh, I guess that's not a bad thing…it just means it's taking longer to write them

2. If you haven't, PLEASE watch Episode 33 of Bleach before reading this chapter…it explains the whole "Karakura Red" issue if you get confused. That and other than Don Kononji (grr) it's a fun episode.

I don't own Bleach! But, I do want to meet Tite Kubo…. And draw him a picture.

Enjoy the story! And THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND READING!!!

Sincerely,

Romania Black

**_Chapter Six_**

**_It never pours; it only sprinkles._**

The box of clothes in Karin's hand was heavier than it looked, but by this time Karin had decided that either her arms were used to the weight and her muscles were kicking in, or that her arms had gone numb, and the weight wasn't a burden. In either case, she trudged on down the silent sidewalk, her feet sliding against the gravel and dust, a low breeze sweeping through the alleyway. Karin sighed; She'd forgotten how long it took exactly just to get to the Urahara Shoten.

The sun beat down on Karin's head, which she was sure was sunburned by this point, casting a dark shadowy copy of herself on the yellow earth. She was just about to stop and rest her arms and her legs, which were starting to feel wobbly and cramped under the heat of the sun, when she saw it. The brown grainy colored roof, the pale walls cracked and in need of a paint job, and more specifically, the girl with the pink and white polka-dot skirt sweeping the dust outside.

"Ururu," Karin mumbled, her chin resting on top of the cardboard box.

In the two years since Karin first met Ururu, she hadn't changed at all; her hair was still in twin pigtails tied with pink ribbon, a white store-employee shirt, and the same pink and white skirt. It almost made Karin uneasy at times, seeing how Ururu had remained so stagnant in her growth. Karin knew that Ururu was older than she was, she'd heard it from Jinta; still, Karin had grown an inch in two years, and her body was starting to change as well. She felt skinnier than she'd ever been, due to her change in height occurring. But Ururu hadn't altered in appearance in any way at all.

"Oh, hi Karin," Ururu's voice broke Karin's thoughts; it was as dry and shallow as always, a tinge of sadness behind her syllables. Her voice didn't have a soothing effect; instead, it was almost painful.

"Hey," Karin set the box down at her feet, which stirred up a little dust. Ururu glanced at it with slight impatience. "How are you Ururu? Is Kisuke here?"

"Yes, he's inside," The girl stated, her eyes barely visible through her twin bangs that hung in her face unkempt. "I'm fine, just sweeping before Tessai gets back."

Karin stretched her arms back behind her head, "Where'd Tessai go---"

Before Karin could finish her sentence, a loud yell broke from the sky above them, as a small shadow looming over her head started to become larger and larger. Karin glanced up quickly to see the bright red hair descending over her and quickly stepped out of the way.

"JINTA HOME RU---"

"KUROSAKI DEATH KICK!"

Before the boy's voice could finish, Karin's foot connected with the boy's face, sending him flying across the dirt road, gravel spinning into the air. Ururu coughed and scowled at the sight; all the loose gravel would have to be swept up again. The boy, grasping his nose that was dribbling blood on the ground, threw his head up towards Karin and Ururu, his face covered in dirt and beating bright pink.

"What the Hell, Karin?" Jinta was on all fours, his hand still clutching his nose.

"Don't 'what the hell' me," Karin replied, irritated, "You're the one who was jumping people," She crossed her arms triumphantly, "You should know you couldn't combat the famous Karakura Red." She winked at Jinta sinisterly.

"_WHAT_?" Jinta's face burned red, "I'm the real Karakura Red and you know it!"

"Whatever," Karin sighed, scratching her nose indifferently.

Jinta's eyes narrowed evilly, "Why, you—!"

The two started throwing fists at each other and sending high kicks in the air, all the while yelling who was the 'real' Karakura Red. Ururu mostly ignored the spectacle and continued sweeping. After two years, Don Kononji, the ridiculed famous "spirit catcher" had taken his TV tour across the globe to other countries, but before leaving had left Karin and Jinta fighting over the 'illustrious' "Karakura Red" position. Apparently, from what Ururu had gathered, the position meant "leader" and Karin and Jinta were both fiery and fiercely competitive enough to want the title. Of course, Ururu secretly knew in her heart that she was cut out to lead the group, being the most powerful at the time, but she hated competition and arguing for pity sakes, so she simply accepted her position as "Karakura Pink" and nonchalantly stepped out of the way. That and she actually liked watching Jinta and Karin fight…it was like watching an old married couple in her opinion, and it was nice for once not getting picked on herself by Jinta.

Karin had by now managed to knock Jinta down, and had her foot buried against his neck, holding him to the ground. Jinta flailed his arms, but to no avail, she had him pinned. "Damn you…" He grunted, his eyes burning.

His captor sighed, her face twisting into a smirk, "Admit it, Jinta, you're just not Red material." She crossed her arms and smiled wide.

Jinta's eyes narrowed and he grabbed her ankle. With a twist he sent her flying towards Ururu, who managed to drop her broom and catch Karin in time, standing her up beside the cardboard box of Ichigo's clothes. "Hey!" Karin yelled angrily, "That was a cheap shot!"

"Just admit it, Karin," Jinta sneered mockingly, brushing off his white Urahara Shoten shirt, "you're just not Red material!"

"How dare you--!" Karin was about to rush forward, when a giant hand crushed against her chest. Karin, surprised, gasped and was stopped in her tracks. She looked up to see the glare of horned-rimmed spectacles facing her.

"Good morning, Miss Karin," Tessai said courteously and released his hand, adjusting his glasses, his braided dark brunette hair fluttering in the lofty breeze. Karin stared up at the gigantic man, Ururu cowering behind her, afraid of the mess around them angering him.

"G—good morning, Mr. Tessai," Karin fumbled. She had never gotten over how huge the man was, nor how mysterious. Jinta was rubbing his nose, which had stopped bleeding, his eyes glaring at Karin. "I—is Mr. Urahara in?" She asked sheepishly, having almost forgotten the reason she came.

"He is, if you'll follow me," Tessai waved his hands toward the door, his face stone-like as he walked toward the front entrance.

"Uh, sure," Karin gripped the cardboard box in her arms and followed him, shooting Jinta a look that clearly stated _we'll finish this later_. Jinta smirked, his hand lowering from his nose with a similar look that reflected _bring it_. Ururu sighed, rolled her eyes and sadly began sweeping the gravel that had been spewed across the entrance to the Shoten. _Those two are impossible…_ she thought with a heavy breath.

Karin had only been in Urahara's shop a few times two years prior, when Karakura Town had been in danger and Kisuke had everyone meet in his shop to be debriefed of any activity. Like Ururu, the shop looked virtually the same, except there was a little more disorganization to its shelves, and some looked barer than others did. Karin glanced around her, before her eyes met with the shop's owner.

Kisuke looked rough or rather looked rougher than he had two years ago. His blonde hair appeared unwashed under his old green and white striped hat, and his five o'clock shadow had grown out to almost a thin beard. He seemed thinner, but not in a healthy way, his skin paler than Karin had known. What made him look the worst was his eyes, still an intriguing hazel-gray, but they carried heavy bags under them, as if he hadn't slept in several days. She felt a small sickening feeling grow in her stomach. Karin glanced out of the corner of her eye at Tessai, who seemed unaffected by his employer's condition. Her eyes narrowed; _doesn't Tessai notice how bad Mr. Urahara looks?_

"Good morning, Miss Kurosaki," Kisuke's cheery voice sounded normal at least, if not a little softer than she remembered it, "I haven't been out yet, but it looks nice outside today," He commented, glancing thoughtfully out the window. Karin felt a small lump rise in her throat that she couldn't explain, but for whatever reason, she couldn't reply. Kisuke noticed the dirty box in her hands, "Oh, what's that?" He opened the flimsy flap and peeked into the container. His face titled curiously, "Clothes? Are these for me, Miss Kurosaki?"

"N—no!" Karin managed to find her voice, "They're Ichigo's…he, um," She paused, _Do I tell him where he's going?_ "He wanted me to ask you if you could store his stuff from the house here for a while." She decided to use the words _a while_, mainly because she had no clue when he'd be back exactly, and didn't feel letting Kisuke know his destination was the best idea. Karin felt her cheeks stain with pink as Kisuke looked back down into the box and then back up at her. There was a small moment of silence amongst the three individuals.

Kisuke scratched his chin, and then smiled, "Of course he can!" He gave Karin an amused look, "Just how much stuff does Ichigo have though to store here?" His eyes narrowed in an oddly gentle manner.

Karin hadn't considered that. "I really don't know," She replied bluntly, her eyes still focused on Kisuke's ragged appearance. "He has a lot of junk though."

"I see," Kisuke looked up to Tessai, "Do you think you could make some room in the back for Ichigo's belongings?"

Tessai nodded deeply, "Of course, Mr. Urahara." He trudged past Karin and into the back of the shop, where Karin assumed the 'storage room was.' She stared at Kisuke in disbelief.

Urahara noticed her confused look, "Is something wrong, Miss Kurosaki?"

"I—I just," _Was he not going to ask me where Ichigo's going? How can he just say 'okay' without being the slightest bit curious? _"Nothing, Mr. Urahara," she noticed the sallow sunken-in cheekbones starting to show on his face. "…Are you okay, Mr. Urahara?"

The question caught Kisuke off-guard, because his hazel-gray eyes widened and his mouth formed into a curious upside down 'v'. He immediately tried to hide this fact by running a hand to the back of his head while flashing out his tiny white fan, its paper wings hiding his lower face comically.

"What are you talking about, Miss Kurosaki?" He chuckled inconspicuously.

Karin frowned, unconvinced by his ruse, "You look sick, Mr. Urahara. Are you sure you're okay?" She raised an eyebrow, waiting for his answer.

"Oh, that," He seemed to have just realized what she was talking about, "I'm fine, I'm fine…just a little cold I've had a few days now." He smiled, lowering the fan, "Nothing for you to worry about of course; in a few days I'll be good as new."

"Oh," Karin said softly. _Yeah right! _She thought with an inner scowl, _You look terrible…that's no cold—_

"KISUKE!" the scream rang out through the shop. Urahara's fan flipped shut and he bounded past Karin, who'd dropped the cardboard box the moment the yell had rang out, Ichigo's clothes spilling out onto the floor. She turned and tailed the Shoten owner.

"_KISUKE_!" The scream was more desperate, as Karin heard it again, except now it was followed by a new sensation. A pulse, a vibration that rang through her bones almost it was so intense. It was similar to an earthquake, except the ground wasn't what was shaking; it was the very air around them that quivered. Almost like a disruption of energy…

"What is it?" Kisuke's voice was more serious, his eyes shielded with his hat as Karin joined his side, her eyes racing to find the source of the yell and the vibrations in the air. Then she saw the source of the scream.

Jinta had his arms flung around Ururu, who was attempting to break his grip, her hands curled around his wrists like snakes. Karin tried to catch a glimpse of her face, but Jinta had her swung around to where all she could see was the young girl's hunched backside and the lightning zigzag part in her hair.

"There was this big spiritual pressure in the air," Jinta panted, his arms clinging tighter, "And Ururu went nuts," He frantically tried to bend his knees to gain ground, but Ururu was shaking her head and clawing at Jinta's hands.

Suddenly, Karin could hear Ururu's voice; it was deeper, almost metallic. "Danger, danger," She repeated, almost as if it was a magical chant, "Danger, Jinta, Danger," Her soft voice was harsher, and robotic. Kisuke had already made it to her, his hand on her brow.

"Calm down, Ururu," He stroked her forehead, his eyes invisible to Karin under his hat, "It's alright, we feel it too."

The vibrations had ceased for the moment, and with Kisuke's calming voice, Ururu stopped fighting Jinta, her arms slowly slumping to her side. Karin stepped forward cautiously, her hand in front of her chest, as if to deflect an attack.

Ururu's head collapsed onto Jinta's chest, "Danger, Jinta," She repeated, but it was no longer harsh or robotic, only saddened. Jinta's eyes softened and he gave her a small scowl.

"We know, Ururu."

"There now," Kisuke stood up. "Listen up, Karin, Jinta, Ururu." His face turned upward. "That vibration is going to come back here in a second, so get ready," even as he said this, the dust started blowing on the ground, and Karin felt a weird tension in the air around them. "Whatever happens, Ururu, remain calm," His eyes drifted to the girl slumped in Jinta's arms, who only nodded slowly, "Jinta, keep a tight grip, and Miss Kurosaki," Kisuke's tired eyes found Karin, "This may be a good time for you to go home and grab more of Ichigo's belongings."

The tone in his voice made it obvious that he wanted her to leave during what looked like an upcoming battle with a Hollow. But Karin didn't want to budge; she wanted to fight alongside them.

"Mr. Urahara, I—"

"It's not negotiable!" Kisuke's sudden harsh rebuttal made Karin flinch. "I'm sorry," He lowered his tone at the sight of her swagger, "But you won't be of any help here, so for your own good, I need to ask you to leave."

Karin felt her face flush, and arm start to tingle; she was torn between leaving as Kisuke had asked and defying him, the latter sounding the best to her. At that moment, a voice tore past her thoughts.

"Geez, Kisuke," The sarcastic voice let out a chuckle, "When'd you get all serious? Let the kid stay…"

Karin turned around and stared in surprise and awe, her mouth hung open despite the gritty feeling gathering in her mouth. Amidst the dust churning around them, she could make out the white bandana tied to his forehead, his crimson hair gleaming in the sunlight above them.

Renji Abarai casually stepped out of the doorway to the Urahara Shoten, and cast a mischievous smirk to Kisuke.

"After all, the brat is Ichigo Kurosaki's sister."

**Well, Things are going to get "dicey" as you could say…**

**And no worries, the next chapter will be up in a few days! Promise!**

**I am very grateful for reader support on this story! THANK YOU! If you have any suggestions or comments, I'd appreciate them.**

**Ciao for now,**

**Romania Black**


	7. Emerging and Blooming

Hello!

Well, as promised, I got this chapter up as soon as I could! This was a lot of fun to write, and as I did, I realized how I want the next few Chapters to go down…So, YAY! Haha, it always feels great to rid oneself of Writer's Block!

Anyway, just a side note, I saw Transformers 2 tonight…it was okay. I just thought it was a little long...but that's a different discussion. On to the chapter!

I don't own Bleach! But, I do want to meet Tite Kubo…. And draw him a picture.

Enjoy the story! And THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND READING!!!

Sincerely,

Romania Black

_**Chapter Seven**_

_**It's always clear in the eye of the storm.**_

Another vibration seared through the air, brushing the hairs on Karin's arms up like static electricity. She shivered in the dusty breeze, but her eyes glared at the crimson-haired man before her. The man, Renji Abarai, simply stood before her, his black robes wafting in the wind, the dust swirling around him as if it was meant to be. _How does the vibration not affect him? _

"What'd you say?" Karin grit her teeth, her dark navy eyes narrowing. She'd met Renji a handful of times, and every time, he never failed to get on her nerves.

"Mr. Abarai," Urahara cut in, his face breaking into a smile, "What a pleasant surprise!"

"You're one to talk," Renji scoffed, "I figured you'd be outside in the action ahead of everyone else." His dark red hair fluttered in the dusty wind. "You never change…"

Kisuke smiled wider, and Karin didn't know whether to take Renji's comment as a compliment or insult. Just as she thought this, another vibration rippled across the sky. Karin flinched, Kisuke frowned up into the air, and Jinta stood motionless with his arms wrapped around the exhausted-seeming Ururu, while Renji simply scowled, as if he was bored. Karin stared at him in disbelief; _are you kidding me? Who does he think he is? _

"Hey!" Karin yelled out, which caused Renji to turn his head towards her, as if confused, "Don't you feel that? That sensation in the air?" Renji's eyebrows furrowed, his mouth opening in an annoyed sigh.

"Geez, you are just like Ichigo…as clueless as ever."

Karin felt her face turn pink, "I—I am _not_ like Ichigo!" Her cheeks were burning now, and she knew she was probably blushing, "And you didn't answer my question! Can't you feel that?"

"Of course he can," a voice rang out serenely from behind Renji, silencing Karin.

Renji didn't seem to notice his eyes still glaring at Karin, but from his backside she could hear footsteps. From Renji's right side appeared two figures she didn't recognize. They both were dressed in black Soul Reaper outfits with white coats over their shoulders. One was tall, serious and stoic appearing with long black hair pulled into a silver clip that shined in the sun despite the dirty air. The other was shorter, his shoulders hunched over slightly as if from the weight of his white coat, his blonde hair pointy and straight and his blue eyes looking perturbed. Karin didn't know why but they made her feel uneasy, her stomach almost nauseous. Another figure popped up beside the tall, stoic Soul Reaper; a short thin woman with dark hair and eyes, but wearing a smile on her face unlike the other two.

Rukia Kuchiki stepped forward, smiling as she finished her sentence, "Renji is a Vice Captain, however, and is not affected by the vibration."

"Rukia," Karin's eyes were huge, "Rukia! You're here!"

"She catches on quickly," The blonde Soul Reaper smirked sarcastically, his eyes still looking sallow and cold, "doesn't she?"

Rukia shot the Soul Reaper a quick angry glance before turning back to Karin, "Of course I am, Karin!" Her face broke into a small smirk, "Why would I risk the chance to fight alongside you and Kisuke?"

The tall Soul Reaper seemed slightly agitated by Rukia's last comment, because his mouth formed a tight frown, his eyes narrowing coldly on Karin's face. Karin felt Goosebumps rise on her arms and legs. "You don't mean to say that this human is going to fight the Arrancar with us?"

"Arrancar?" Karin stared at the tall Soul Reaper, one eyebrow raised slightly higher than the other.

"Ah," Kisuke smiled thinly, his sudden talking making Karin jump in surprise; she'd forgot Jinta, Ururu, and Kisuke were still standing behind her, "I was wondering what warranted the visit of three Captains and Vice Captains."

Karin felt a tremor rush through her body that she couldn't explain, the weight of Kisuke's words suddenly sinking in. "Wait," She turned around to face Urahara, "What did you say?" She spun around to look at the two men and Rukia. "Those white coats…" It was almost like a memory being sparked in her mind, "Those two with Rukia…"

"How dense are you Kurosaki?" An angry bark came from Renji's left side. Karin suddenly found herself looking at the white hair of a shorter man with his arms crossed at his chest, his teal eyes cold and unfeeling.

A smile burst on her face, Karin couldn't believe it, "Toshiro! I didn't know you were here too!"

From behind the small, white-haired Captain, his lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto, dressed in her normally revealing robes, smiled thinly and chuckled, "Aww, she remembered you, Captain!"

"Shut up," Toshiro growled, his cold eyes flickering back to Matsumoto for a second. "And it's Captain Hitsugaya, not Toshiro!" He glared at Karin, who seemed roughly unaffected by his sudden hostility at her.

"What's the meaning of this?" The stoic Soul Reaper frowned, "How does she know you--?"

"Who cares?!" Renji barked loudly, interrupting the conversation. He cast Kisuke an angry look, "You knew an Arrancar was here?"

Kisuke suddenly smiled widely, his white fan covering his mouth with a flick of his wrist, "What on Earth would make you think that? I'm just a lowly but ruggedly handsome merchant—"

"Skip the Bullshit, Urahara!" Renji snapped, a small vein poking out on his forehead, his fists clenching tightly at his side.

Karin stared at the group, trying to soak the sight in front of Urahara's Shoten in. The blonde man looked like quite a sad individual, even in his impressive white coat, the Stoic man looked aggravated at the very informality of the entire occasion. Rukia looked happier than Karin could remember seeing her in a while despite the two men next to her, Toshiro looked irritated but the same as always, and then Matsumoto…Karin paused. Rangiku had laughed at her earlier comment, but something was different, _or rather not right_, with her demeanor. It was as if something was sizzling under the surface of her disposition, but Karin couldn't place it.

"It's of no concern to you Captain Kuchiki," Toshiro said over Renji, his eyes closed in frustration, "but Karin," He looked up at her, and the sight of his teal gaze made Karin's mouth shut tighter, "You should know as well since you're here. There's been sightings of an Arrancar's presence here."

The blonde captain sneered curtly; "Does she know what an Arrancar even is?"

"Izuru!" Rukia breathed angrily.

"If she's Ichigo's sister she'd better," Renji offered in a bored tone.

"As I was saying," the white haired Captain continued, slightly annoyed, "As such, a matter of this importance was given clearance from our Captain General to come to the Real World to investigate. After the order was given, 6th Company Captain Byakuya Kuchiki, 3rd Company Captain Kira Izuru, 10th Company Vice-Captain Rangiku Matsumoto, 6th Company Vice-Captain Renji Abarai, 3rd Company Vice-Captain Rukia Kuchiki and myself immediately came here."

"Wait," Karin stopped Toshiro, her eyes widening, _So the two men in white coats were Captains too…but…. _"Did you say _Vice-Captain_ Rukia Kuchiki?"

Rukia blushed, her cheeks turning a light pink. "He did."

Karin noticed at that moment the small bronzed badge tied to Rukia's shoulder, three small lines engraved in a column on its surface. "Woah…"

"_Good Grief_…"

There was a crashing sensation that ripped through the air, its vibration shaking the group of Soul Reapers, Ururu, Jinta, Kisuke, and Karin. Renji's eyes widened as he looked up into the air. Matsumoto raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sun so she could see. Rukia looked to Byakuya, who exchanged disturbed images with the man Izuru and Captain Hitsugaya before looking up where Renji was. Karin looked to where they were staring, as did Kisuke and the others.

Above them about fifty meters, the sky had ripped open, and from the blackness, Karin saw the pair of black boots first, white stripes lining their fronts. The boots connected to a pair of ice white muscular legs that led up to a white skirt that had black stripes lining it like a dark candy cane. The figure's midriff was visible, as white as its legs, and it wore a black vest with white crosses stitched on it. Karin wasn't disturbed so much by its pale ghostly skin and strange attire as she was with the small hole literally carved through its throat.

The Arrancar sneered, its Black stringy hair hanging in its face like ratty yarn. "Good Grief," He repeated. "You Soul Reapers sure talk a lot."

"The Arrancar," Matsumoto cried out, her orange eyebrows furrowing.

"What a keen observation," He cringed sarcastically, "And here I was thinking you were all a bunch of snobby faux-intellectuals."

Karin couldn't believe what she was sensing. The Arrancar didn't look fearsome at all. He looked barely as tall as Karin, he was thin and non-muscular, and his stringy hair and sunken in cheeks and yellow eyes were cruel but not intimidating. _He looks like a teenager…not very old at all; _Karin thought wildly_, So then how can he emit such a huge spiritual pressure?_

"Who are you?!" Renji yelled, his face tense, his right hand clenching the handle of his sword, as if about to strike.

The Arrancar grinned devilishly, "You all seem to know already," He raised a hand behind his head, "You tell me."

Captain Byakuya's nose flared, "What insolence."

"He doesn't look strong, but we shouldn't risk it," Toshiro added, his teal eyes glaring.

"Agreed," Kisuke nodded, and rose slowly into the air, his cane, which Karin hadn't noticed until now, tucked under his right arm.

"Oh ho," The Arrancar breathed quietly, "Here comes one now…"

Kisuke was at the level in the sky of the Arrancar, both of them standing on the air as if it was as firm as the ground below them. "Hello, Mr. Arrancar," Kisuke smiled, but it was not the cheerful smile he usually graced his guests or customers with.

"How courteous of you," The Arrancar mused, his black greasy hair covering one of his feral eyes, "I would assume you are Kisuke Urahara." Kisuke's smile faded, and the Arrancar continued, "Ah, I'm correct. Though," He looked Urahara up and down, "You don't look as well as I would have hoped."

At this comment, Kisuke smiled thinly, "Sorry to disappoint, Mr. Arrancar."

The Arrancar suddenly frowned, "Cut the 'Mr. Arrancar,' I have a name." From behind his head there was a clanking noise, as the Arrancar grabbed the yellow and bronze spun hilt of a sword hanging behind him. "Konso," He sneered, "Konso Priatt."

Kisuke frowned, "Unusual name."

"Heh," The Arrancar smiled, as his black tongue licked his teeth, "You don't seem intimidated."

Karin stared at the two above her exchange dialogue, her eyes wide in awe of the spiritual pressure still emitting from them. Until now, Kisuke hadn't shown much of his, and the sudden offset of spirit energy was outstanding.

"What's he waiting on?" Renji growled his fists practically white. "He's close enough, he should kill the Arrancar now!"

"Renji!" Rukia gave him an angry scowl, "I'm sure Kisuke has a good reason for his hesitation with the Arrancar."

"I agree," Toshiro nodded, "Urahara wouldn't have withdrew from attack without a proper excuse."

"Intimidated?" Kisuke tilted his head in confusion, "Why on Earth would I be intimidated?"

"Heh," The Arrancar smiled a wide, almost disturbing smile, his yellow eyes narrowing and gleaming. The wind suddenly picked up, and Karin coughed from the dust that was gathering around them. The other Soul Reapers suddenly stiffened.

"What--?" Captain Izuru's eyes widened.

"That Reitsu," Rukia gasped, "It's growing!"

Toshiro suddenly looked at Byakuya, "Captain! Do you—"

"_KISUKE_!" Ururu screamed, her head stretching toward the sky, Jinta trembling as he tried to hold her back.

"Haha!" The Arrancar drew his sword from his hilt, and Kisuke crouched, ready for the attack, when suddenly Karin realized why Ururu had screamed.

Karin screamed out immediately after Ururu, "KISUKE, BEHIND Y—"

"Bloom, Tobiume."

Karin hadn't heard the Soul Reaper's voice, but behind Kisuke there was a loud explosion of fire, and both Kisuke and Konso leapt from where they were standing, the area where they once had stood now a great ball of grayish black smoke. Karin now saw where the increase in spiritual pressure had risen. From inside the smoke, she could see the figure of something, gasping and coughing. _Where did that explosion come from? _Karin thought in utter confusion. She turned to the Soul Reapers, but they were no longer looking at the sky, but rather at the entrance of the Urahara Shoten.

"Well, well," Renji smirked, "I was about to ask where you'd went to!"

"Are you kidding?" Tessai was standing at the entrance of the Shoten, but the voice came from the small woman in front of him, her wrists drawn to her chest at an odd angle, her brunette hair pulled back into a small bun covered in baby blue material. The Vice-Captain's badge was tightly bound around her arm, the engraving of a five on its surface. "Tessai and I were just waiting on the sidelines until it was time to join in," The Vice Captain smirked, "You wouldn't want me to have to skip out on all the fun?"

**Heh heh! And you thought I'd forgot about Hinamori! Bwhahaha, it's going to be a fun couple of chapters coming up so stay tuned!  
**

**Of course, your comments and suggestions have been AWESOME! I love hearing what you think about the story! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!**

**Cheers,**

**Romania Black**


	8. Not Exactly Nepotism

Hello!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND! I hope yours was fun! I was watching a neighbor's fireworks show they put on, and a renegade firework came down to where my family and I were sitting and a shard of it hit me in the knee! Woo hoo! Nothing bad happened though, so yay!

Now, I have several notes before this chapter comes out, **_So Please Read_**:

1. This is the longest chapter I may have written on Bleach! It's also my first BATTLE Chapter ever! I hope you enjoy it, it was SUPER fun to write!

2. The Rating IS CHANGING! Due to the excessive violence in this chapter and to come, I'm altering the rating to T for Teen.

3. At the request of one reader, we're going to spend some time with minor characters, more specifically, Karakura characters coming up next chapter! But more on that later…

4. And finally, ARTWORK! Yes, I have drawn artwork for this chapter! I wanted you to see a slight idea for the Arrancar(s) you see in this chapter, so here's a link to my DeviantART-work I have for this chapter. If you like it, I plan to release more soon!

Here's the link to the Arrancar pictures: .com/art/Of-Fate-and-Pheonix-Chapter-8-128413574

I don't own Bleach! But, I do want to meet Tite Kubo…. And draw him a picture.

Enjoy the story! And THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND READING!!!

Sincerely,

Romania Black

**Chapter Eight**

**Trouble comes in Threes, not Twos.**

Karin noticed two things about the new guest that had arrived with Tessai. First, the girl Renji addressed looked no older than she was; yet her spiritual pressure was matched with Captain Izuru's, and closer to Renji's than Matsumoto's. Second, she looked out of it like Matsumoto, her eyes clear and dark brown, but with small crow's feet under them, as if she hadn't slept well. In a similar fashion, now that Karin reconsidered it, she resembled Kisuke more than Matsumoto.

Despite her weakened appearance, the girl lifted her large silver sword, it's seven slender prongs jutting from its blade like fragile tree limbs. "Tobiume would be mad if I didn't let her fight every now and then," She smiled, turning to the Vice-Captain courteously, "Were you really that worried about me, Renji?"

Renji's eyes widened temporarily, his face twisting into a sour expression. "I was not!" He scoffed loudly. The scoff seemed to have no effect, however, as the girl giggled quietly, her blade still raised, and turned to Toshiro, who did not look happy at her arrival at all.

"Momo," He frowned, "You were to stay inside with Tessai," He grumbled lowly, and Karin was under the impression it had been an order from only him, because the others looked surprised by this statement. "You're still too—"

"Toshiro!" The girl Momo snapped angrily. "As Vice-Captain of the Fifth Division, I have every right to be here as you!" Toshiro gave her an angry, disapproving look in return, but she didn't back down, "So just be quiet and let me be, Toshiro!"

To this Toshiro did quiet down, but his teal eyes still glared at her, "It's Captain Hitsugaya, Momo…how many times do I have to tell you—"

"Silence your insolent chatter," Captain Byakuya's eyes were closed in frustration. "The Arrancar Vice-Captain Hinamori attacked has recovered."

Karin and the others lifted their heads to the air. Kisuke and the Arrancar Konso Priatt were still in the air separated from each other by the blast, but now, another figure had joined the fray from the evaporating smoke.

It was a slender figure in a white gown, resembling a snake in its curvy long frame, the ends of the gown's sleeves and top section black. Its skin was pale white like Konso's but it wasn't muscular in any way. A black bow was tied around its skinny pencil neck that connected to its thin heart-shaped face. Cheeks sunken in, the creature had bright orange narrow eyes, one with orange stripes jutting out from the eyelids like enlarged eyelashes. The other eye wasn't exactly visible; there was a half section of a hollow mask over it, crimson slashes similar to the orange stripes adorning it in a parallel fashion. Its hair was crimson as well, only pushed to one side, resembling a shark's fin, defying gravity.

The Arrancar took its large sleeve and rubbed its visible eye. "Pff," It coughed in a hiss-like whine, its orange eye landing on Kisuke, "Did you attack me?" It whined its voice like chalk on an erase board.

Kisuke flinched slightly, "No, sadly not."

"It was a Soul Reaper down there," Konso pointed at the group Karin stood next too. The newly joined Arrancar glared down at Karin.

"Who attacked me?" It screeched.

"Ugh," Renji's eyes narrowed in disgust; "its voice is terrible. How annoying."

"It was me!" Vice-Captain Hinamori stepped forward; Tobiume lifted towards the sky, "Should I show you again, to be sure?" She smiled grimly; her tired eyes focused on the Arrancar.

"Oh no," The Arrancar hissed, lowering its arm, "Just come up here so I can rip you apart for trying to ruin my outfit," She brushed a slender hand across her left sleeve, which was charred from Tobiume's attack.

Hinamori frowned and started to rise in the air. Toshiro frantically rushed forward and grabbed the leg of her black robes.

"Momo!" He said urgently, tugging at the robes. "Don't be hasty! It's a trap--"

"Captain!" Matsumoto was about to grab Toshiro to pull him away when Momo's voice broke the Vice-Captain's train of thought.

"Captain Hitsugaya," Momo's words came so suddenly that Toshiro dropped the leg of her pants in surprise, "I'm well aware of that! Let me go and assist Kisuke." Her brown eyes narrowed with an unsettling coldness, "If I need you, I'll let you know." Kicking her leg, she darted away from him, into the air above where the three were stationary.

Karin looked from Hinamori to Toshiro, who looked as if someone had kicked him in the stomach. _What's with those two? Are they related or something? They sure act like it…_

"Why thank you for saving me, Miss Hinamori," Kisuke smiled sheepishly as she met them in the air, his arm scratching his hair from under his green and white bucket hat. The Vice-Captain nodded curtly, her face still frowning.

"My pleasure, Mr. Urahara," In her head though, she knew she hadn't saved him at all; he would have dodged the attack if he had to. But there was no time to speculate 'ifs' and 'then.' She turned to the Arrancars, "Now, who are you two?"

The male Arrancar smirked, "I've already introduced myself," He placed a hand on his chest in a mockingly gentleman-type fashion and bowed, "Konso Priatt."

The snake-like Arrancar hissed, "I am Quetzal Surpenti."

"Since we're on even ground now," Urahara smiled, his hands on the edge of his cane, as if it was holding him up in midair, "what business do you have here, Mr. Priatt and Ms. Surpenti?"

Quetzal's eyes widened in anger, "How dare that piece of trash—" Konso's hand flashed across the Arrancar's mouth, silencing her.

"Shaddup, Quetzal," He murmured firmly, eyeing her angrily, then turned to Kisuke with a sickening smile, "Ah, Mr. Urahara, I'm afraid that's for us to know and for you to find out. Now if you'll excuse us," He held the yellow and bronze sword in front of his face, "We'll be going on our way.

Konso started to walk away, with Quetzal trailing him, but with a quick snap of wind, Tobiume's silver edge was at Konso's throat. The Arrancar's eyes slowly rose to meet with Hinamori's, which looked fiery in their reflection.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," She said sternly.

Konso sighed, "Tsk, tsk, Soul Reapers," He ran a hand through his greasy hair, "You're a bothersome lot, aren't you?" His feral eyes met Kisuke's, then hers again. "Suit yourself...Quetzal."

Before Hinamori could react, the Arrancar Quetzal had drawn its pink handled sword from behind its shoulder, and the blade had smashed down upon Tobiume, the two blades clashing with a loud CLANK! Konso jumped out of the way of the swords colliding, only to be met by Kisuke's cane, which had been unsheathed to reveal its thin metal sword hiding within.

Kisuke smirked, "Using your partner's Sonido to allow you to escape?" Konso's eyes widened an inch, "Dirty trick, Mr. Priatt," Urahara shook his head.

Konso stared in surprise at Kisuke for a second, before his face broke into a small grin, his eyes narrowing viciously, "You mistake me, Mr. Urahara," He swung his sword against Kisuke's, "I was simply being a gentleman." His eyes flickered to Quetzal, Hinamori, and then back to Kisuke, "I would never attack a woman." His black tongue licked his teeth grotesquely.

"Admirable," Kisuke, unfazed, lowered his arm, the cane's blade creaking loudly against Konso's, "But unfortunately, that leaves you with me," His voice lowered, "Sing, Benihime."

Kisuke's cane exploded with a bright red light. Karin and the others had to shield their eyes from the blast that cascaded across the sky. _What the hell was that? _Karin thought wildly to herself as the dust swirled around their heads. She turned toward the other Soul Reapers.

"What was that?" Karin yelled at them, "Is Kisuke okay?"

The tall Captain Byakuya scowled, his black hair blowing lightly compared to the others, his silver hair clip restricting the movement of his hair. "Is this child serious?"

Renji jerked his head back to his Captain, "Eh, give her a break, Captain. She is Ichigo's sister after all," His face forming into a smile as the last words escaped his lips.

"What?" For a moment, the Captain's eyes opened wider, the grayness of the irises sharpening. His head turned towards Karin; "You are the _sister_ of Ichigo Kurosaki?"

The blonde captain Izuru let out a heavy, depressed sigh, _Renji's only been mentioning she was his sister since we've been here…has he been ignoring him until now?_

"Ah," Captain Byakuya let out a small huff, as if realizing something important. "If you are indeed Ichigo Kurosaki's sibling, your lack of knowledge in the situation comes to no surprise." He looked up and continued, despite Karin's immediately frowning red face, "What you are witnessing is when a Soul Reaper releases their sword, or Zanpaktou; they vary from Soul Reaper to Soul Reaper. This is Kisuke Urahara's Zanpaktou release." His cold gray eyes focused on Karin, who gulped quietly, despite the red fierceness still held in her cheeks. "Do you understand?"

And suddenly, the explosion from Hinamori's sword, as well as the red light erupting from Kisuke's cane made sense. _So that's a Zanpaktou? So Ichigo…_

Meanwhile, the Arrancar Konso Priatt had somewhat successfully dodged Kisuke's release, though fragments of his greasy black locks were floating aimlessly in the air. The Arrancar wiped its mouth, which had received a small cut across the side of its lips.

"Sing? Your sword sings does it?" He spat, his mouth curling in a twisted smile. Kisuke didn't reply, his hand merely shifting the blade to reflect the light towards Konso. He rushed forward, and the sword collided against Konso's the curved hilt of Urahara's blade beautifully adorned and royal in appearance compared to the blunt ugliness of Konso's bronze and marigold spun hilt. "Interesting," Konso's eyes narrowed, "You don't seem as cheerful as you once were. Tell me," His feral eyes gleamed, "What else can your 'Red Princess' do besides sing?" With that, he leapt above Kisuke's head, his blade soaring above his head; Kisuke's neck craned as Benihime glided to follow the Arrancar's. Konso drove his sword against Kisuke's with one hand, while the other was balled into a fist. Eyes glowing a bright yellow, Konso opened his hand slowly, and within the palm a small ball of light started to engulf it, the light as yellow as his eyes.

Hinamori, sensing the increase in Reitsu, turned to see what was going on. Her eyes locked on the yellow light. _A—A Cero!_

"Don't take your eyes off me!" Quetzal screeched and swung her pink handled sword hard. Momo barely had enough time to block the shot, her Tobiume shaking under the sword's surprise swing.

The ball of glowing light grew to the size of his open fist, and Konso held low, inches from Kisuke's face, as his sword continued its hold against Benihime. "Let's hear your sword sing now! CERO!"

A yellow flash erupted in the sky, followed by Momo's screams, a flash of light from Tobiume, and the parallel screeches of the Arrancar and Ururu, who was still trapped in Jinta's arms.

"Kisuke! Kisuke!" Ururu was trying to fight Jinta, who was almost to his knees.

"Ururu! Urahara said—to stay—calm!" Sweat rolled down his forehead and dripped off his chin, landing amongst the swaying dust.

"What was that?" Karin turned to Byakuya, certain now if anyone was going to explain what was going on, it would be him. The captain eyed her pretentiously.

"A Cero," He said calmly, "It is the doom blast of an Arrancar or Hollow to be specific. It is known as one of their most powerful attacks."

Karin's eyes widened, "And he just fired that at Kis--," She flew her gaze skyward, "KISUKE!" The smoke from the blast was all she could see. "_KISUKE_!" Her voice mimicked Ururu's, like a strange chant. Jinta shut his eyes tight in mingled frustration and horror.

"Both of you!" Rukia's voice was harsh as it rang out through the air. Ururu and Karin both paused, their faces flushed from yelling. "Please," Rukia's voice sounded exasperated and softer. She formed a small smile on her face; "Do you really think Kisuke is that easily defeated?"

The smoke cleared, and the group peered above them. Ururu slumped back to Jinta's side, who looked relieved. Karin's eyes widened at the sight.

Momo held Tobiume, which she had fired at Quetzal to get her out of the way temporarily, alight, the blade glowing slightly pink. She had hoped if the blast distracted the female Arrancar, she could assist Kisuke if he was injured. Her face looked dirty, but otherwise she appeared unharmed. Her head spun towards where Kisuke was. The Shoten owner was clutching his green and white hat, which was sitting sideways on his head, clumps of blonde hair sticking out from under it. His coat had a tear that was charred at the ends, but otherwise okay. In front of him was a dark red shield, its edges cracked and the shards turning to liquid, dripping towards the ground. The shield looked as if it was made of blood.

The Arrancar Konso's eyes were huge, his sword shaking in his hand, as he stared at Urahara in disbelief. He looked to Momo, then to the smoking blob near her. _The girl shot something off her Zanpaktou…did she get Quetzal? _His eyes directed themselves back to Kisuke.

"What the Hell did you just do?" He asked in an aggravated tone.

Kisuke adjusted his hat and let out a sigh, his face forming into a small devilish grin, "Well, you asked if she just sang to me," He let his hand drop from the hat, "Truth be told, that's not all." He lowered the sword, and the shield melted away. "She also cries."

Konso let out a small grunt of confusion, "Cries?"

"Yeah, she cries and makes this Blood Mist Shield," He let his hand touch the last bit of shield to fall apart, the dark red liquid forming on his finger. "It's great in a pinch…especially," His eyes shifted toward Konso, "if your enemy uses an unexpected close range attack."

The Arrancar backed up a few steps, his face forming into an angry gaze. "Pff," He snorted, "That doesn't change anything."

"Kisuke!" Momo was facing Urahara, her timid face worried, "Are you okay?"

The flash of pink was too fast for most to notice, but not to Urahara, who could track movements that fast with great accuracy. But his eyesight wasn't a match for his body, which couldn't move fast enough to help Momo. The Arrancar dug its pink handled blade into Momo's side. Hinamori gasped, her eyes flying behind her to the pale face of her attacker.

"I told you," The Arrancar hissed, its face charred and its clothes smoldering, "Not to ruin my outfit!" She drew the blade from Hinamori's side, blood gushing from the wound, and aimed to strike again.

"You tra—"

But her sword never touched Momo again.

The Arrancar Quetzal Surpenti couldn't finish her words because Toshiro Hitsugaya's steel blade had sliced through her skull. The young Captain was in front of Quetzal, his blade grasped in two hands to ensure the hit would be fatal. The Soul Reaper's hard teal eyes burned through Quetzal, as if they were daggers themselves.

The Arrancar knew it was still summer here, but she could have sworn there were ice crystals floating around her and the white haired Soul Reaper that had struck her.

"—sh." Quetzal's head severed in two, and her body split in half, ice creeping across its body as it fell toward the ground, the pink blade evaporating in the air. Toshiro turned in a flash and sheathed his sword quick enough to grab Hinamori in his arms, her head slumping in pain against his shoulder. He grabbed Tobiume, which had turned back to its sealed form with his right hand, as Quetzal Surpenti's two ice-ridden halves fell towards the ground. They dissolved into the sky before they could reach Karin and the others though.

Karin felt herself trembling, her face frozen in a state of utter shock. She had seen the red shield above Kisuke's head, and she had seen Momo turn towards him, but the next moments were beyond her comprehension. There had been a girl's scream, and she thought she had heard Toshiro yell out, an almost painful scream, but when she'd turned to see what was wrong, he was gone. All that was in his place was Matsumoto, looking both sad and fearful. Then she'd heard Toshiro cry out, a name it sounded like, but she wasn't sure. Then there was ice falling to the ground, and ash.

The time it had taken between Momo being hit and Quetzal dying was less than thirty seconds.

"T-T—Toshiro?" Karin gasped, looking up in awe.

"Idiot," Izuru's eyes darkened, "He shouldn't be interfering." His gaze lowered slightly, "Even if it was to save Momo…"

Konso screamed with rage, as his yellow eyes were fiery and consumed with a burning glow. "_YOU_!" his finger jolted to Toshiro, and then to Urahara, "And _YOU_! You—You—You—"

"Nice of you to join us," Urahara smiled grimly to Toshiro, "But that was quite rude of you to step in like that."

"You fool!" Toshiro's eyes flashed to Kisuke angrily, his body turning towards the Arrancar and Urahara. "You were going to let Momo get killed?"

Urahara frowned, his eyes briefly saddened, "Captain Hitsugaya…"

"_ENOUGH_!" The Arrancar fumed, his sword pointed towards Kisuke. "I don't know who your accomplice thinks he is, but he's going to pay for killing Quetzal!"

Urahara stared up at Konso, his eyes no longer saddened, but the frown still plaguing his face, "You're more than welcome to of course," His eyes became non-visible under his hat, "But you still have me to deal with before you can consider a move like that." Benihime raised towards Konso's face, its blade tapping Konso's. The Arrancar's eyes widened, and for the first time, panic spread across his face. The Arrancar backed up a step. "What?" Kisuke's frown became a small smile, "Don't tell me you're not up for some more singing and crying?"

"You—Y—Damn you!" Konso spit at Kisuke, which landed on his hat. Kisuke wiped it off with a flick of his hand, his eyes still invisible under the brim of the bucket hat. "I refuse to fight you two-to-one," The Arrancar sheathed his sword slowly, "As if I'd be so ignorant!" Konso glared menacingly at Toshiro, whose sword was pointing its gleaming blade at the Arrancar. "You…You'll pay for this, boy. I promise you that!" He turned and the sky ripped open with a loud scraping noise, "You two didn't do a thing today…don't think you've won anything Soul Reapers." And then he vanished behind the blackness, the hole closing like a giant mouth.

Kisuke sighed as Benihime transformed back into its normal sealed cane, his hand wiping his forehead. "I'm just glad his spit didn't land on my face."

"URAHARA!" Toshiro burst out angrily, a small vein popping out on his forehead. "Why didn't you chase after him? You let him get away!"

The Shoten owner's face suddenly dropped into a stone-hard gaze; Toshiro flinched slightly in mid-sentence.

"Don't lecture me, Captain Hitsugaya," Kisuke's voice was uncharacteristically stern, "You entered the fray unconventionally—"

"Momo would have died—"

"Momo is _dying_ in your arms, Captain!" Kisuke's voice was harsh enough to silence the young captain, whose teal eyes were wide and softened for the first time. "Yet you would stay and fight that Gillian? That _Gillian_ Arrancar?" Kisuke's now-soft voice pierced Toshiro sharper than any blade, than he lowered his eyes to Momo, who was whimpering in Toshiro's arms. "My concern wasn't with defeating that Arrancar, but with making it to where Momo would survive." He glared at Toshiro, "So him escaping didn't concern me in the slightest." Kisuke's eyes were cold, "What were _your_ concerns, Captain?"

The wind fluttered on the group standing below, the dust finally settling and dying at their feet. Karin was speechless, as were most of the other Captains and Vice Captains.

Ururu lifted her head up slowly off Jinta's chest, her sad blue eyes moist with tears, "Kisuke…"

Urahara touched down first, softly beside her, and nodded to Jinta, who let her go in an instant before collapsing to sit on the ground shakily. Karin ran towards him to keep him from falling over as Ururu sobbed into Kisuke's chest, her arms clutched tightly to her chest. Kisuke wrapped an arm around tenderly her.

"There, there, Ururu," He spoke in a quiet fatherly tone. "It's okay now, Ururu." He tried to comfort her sobs, but they continued, heavier than before. He finally simply smiled and looked over to Jinta, "Are you okay, Jinta? You held her for quite a while."

"Y—yeah," Jinta stammered, Karin hand under his arm, trying to lift him to his feet, but she gave up and let him sit, with her standing behind him.

Toshiro landed an instant later, Rukia rushing to his side along with Matsumoto and Tessai. The white haired captain handed Momo to Tessai, who laid her on the ground gently, her dark brown hair half-covering her face, dark crimson fluid still soaking in her black robes, tingeing them a darker shade.

"Tessai," Toshiro was ghostly pale, his teal eyes searching, "Can you--?"

The large man looked gravely at Momo's wound, scanned it over several times, and then put his hands together in the shape of a diamond. The air was thick with anticipation of his words.

"I'm afraid the most I can do is sustain the wound and try to return some of her blood and energy," Tessai's glasses gleamed in the sunlight. "But a wound this deep should be handled by Captain Unohana or someone trained with that type of healing." A wavy wave of white light flowed from his hands and encompassed Hinamori, who furrowed her brow at the movement, but did not open her eyes. She looked incredibly frail, as if she'd snap at any moment. Toshiro felt his insides freezing. "But I will do all I can." The light began to swirl and close the wound on her side. Toshiro found himself face to face with Rangiku and Rukia when he turned away.

"Captain," Matsumoto breathed her blue eyes soft and relieved. _What were you thinking, stupid? _

"Captain Hitsugaya," Byakuya's eyes were not soft like Rangiku's in any way, they were instead cold and merciless, "how could you be so reckless?"

"With all due respect," Captain Hitsugaya's eyes narrowed, ignoring Matsumoto's attempt to place a hand on his shoulder, "How was I being reckless? The reckless action would have been to let Momo be killed without assistance."

"Don't argue with Captain Kuchiki," Kira Izuru's voice echoed across the Shoten entrance, a despairing voice that made Toshiro pause and stare at the blonde Captain. "He's right. Momo's our friend as well, Captain Hitsugaya, but we respect she is a warrior too, and will fight without assistance until the death. As a Captain, or a Soul Reaper for that matter, doing what you did was only a sign that you didn't respect her in the situation."

_Who's to say I don't? _Toshiro nearly said it aloud, but reconsidered; especially with Captain Byakuya, Renji, and Tessai present. He glanced at Tessai, whose face was dripping sweat; he seemed like a man of protocol to Hitsugaya.

"Kisuke," Byakuya's gray eyes settled on the shop owner, still consoling Ururu, "what was the purpose of those Arrancar coming here? They did not stay long enough to fulfill any _mission_ of any sorts, correct?"

"Hard to say," Urahara sighed sadly, "I wish I knew. If I were to make any guesses, I'd say he'd hide out and wait for a chance to show up again. Perhaps," His hazel-gray eyes drifted toward Toshiro, who was listening attentively, "To extract revenge."

"I see," Captain Byakuya frowned even deeper than usual.

"So what should we do?" Renji scowled at the group; he hated being stuck in place without a game plan. "Should we all stay here?"

"Absolutely not," Byakuya's eyes flashed upon Renji, who fidgeted at the sight, "Captains need to make reports of the Arrancar immediately, so that our own divisions and the neighboring ones can be informed of the situation that occurred today." The Captain turned toward the others, his eyes scanning them intently. "What we need now is for Captain Izuru, Hitsugaya, and myself to travel back to the Soul Society with Vice-Captain Momo Hinamori and arrange a report to be given on the encounters here. The appearance of Arrancars is definitely worth watching from the Court Guards."

"An excellent idea, brother," Rukia chimed in, her head nodding in approval of his idea. "And what of Vice Captain Renji, Matsumoto, and myself?"

"It would be the wisest that you stay here and remain on lookout for the renegade Arrancar, should he decide to return. Then you can inform us and we will send reinforcements to deal with the threat if need be." Byakuya gazed down at his sister, who merely nodded her head in understanding of her brother's words.

"Captain," Toshiro's voice was hesitant as he lifted his head to Byakuya, who looked at him with an upturned eyebrow, as if offended Toshiro had said anything at all. "May I request that Matsumoto take my place on the return home?"

Karin, who had only been half paying attention to the Soul Reapers, and half paying attention to Jinta muttering offensive comments about Toshiro and Byakuya, suddenly felt a tension grow thicker in the air. Byakuya narrowed his eyes at Hitsugaya.

"What would the purpose of this request be? For you to extract revenge yourself?"

"Not at all," Toshiro answered, a little too quick to be unsuspicious in Karin's opinion. Captain Byakuya didn't seem to notice though, "I just believe the idea of leaving three Vice-Captains here alone would be problematic, in the offset chance that a Captain couldn't show up in time to help." He gave Rangiku a glance, "My Vice Captain has made many reports in my absence. She'll know what to do, right Matsumoto?" He gave his Vice-Captain a quick look in the eyes. Matsumoto smiled,

"Of course, Captain," She answered with a curt bow of her head. _Why does he want to stay? _She asked herself in a curious, saddened voice_, is it really revenge? _She found herself staring blankly at Karin and Jinta.

"I do not approve of this," Byakuya's voice was low and firm, "However, if your Vice-Captain is attune with the situation then I have no qualms to offer since this matter is out of my division. We shall leave immediately and inform the remaining Gotei 13. Tessai Tsukabishi," He turned to look at the tall Shoten employee, whose large tanned hands were still in the shape of a diamond, white light pouring around Momo. "Would it be possible for us to take Vice-Captain Hinamori with us now?"

Tessai let his hands separate, the light ceasing to emit from him, and he rubbed his forehead. "She isn't near the level of "healed" but this should patch her until you return to the Soul Society. But I would do so _immediately_." His voice grew even more urgent with his last few words.

"Thank you, Tessai," Rukia nodded her head in a grateful gesture; the other Captains and Vice-Captains mirroring her move. "For everything." Tessai nodded his head in return after they had stopped, but offered no further words or advice.

The Urahara Shoten began to emit white light from within, similar to how it had when Renji first arrived; Izuru started towards it.

"Toshiro, Rukia, Renji," He nodded at all three, then to Kisuke and the others, "Take care." Kira Izuru passed through the portal to the Soul Society, his body slipping from view like that of someone sliding past a white veil.

"Captain," Matsumoto curtsied with a large smile on her face, then turned and joined Izuru, her face that of determination and conviction. She wouldn't fail her captain.

Byakuya reached down slowly and gripped the bloody Hinamori in his arms, her feet dangling lifelessly across his arm, her head in the crutch of his arm. The Captain bowed his head, "Many gracious thanks, Tessai Tsukabishi." And then, Byakuya was out of sight like the other three. The white light vanished almost as soon as it had arrived, leaving behind no trace that he'd been there in the first place. Rukia and Toshiro looked at each other, and then to Kisuke, Jinta, Ururu, and Karin. Renji offered Tessai a glance and then scratched the back of his head,

"So what now?"

**What now indeed? Time for some ****KUROSAKI FAMILY MOVING OUT FOR HIGHER EDUCATION QUEST EXTRAVAGANZA CELEBRATION fun next chapter! What could be better? **

**As always, if you have any suggestions or comments, don't hesitate to let me know! Did you like the fan art? It was a rough sketch, but I figured I'd give you all a little something with the chapter to enjoy. ^_^ I am so fortunate you all get to read my story!! I'm truly grateful!**

**Take care and THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!**

**Cheers,  
Romania Black**


	9. Soul Reaper Caravan Destination: Hell

Hello!

How did you all like the last chapter? I received a review stating it was too long…sorry about that! I wanted to get the battle all in one chapter…I have learned and will do my best not to do that a second time! 

Also, I heard that Karin was a little Out of Character last chapter…I'm working to justify that here. And I promise I will stay as In Character as possible in the future!

So anyway, on to the chapter! I'm going to be UBER busy this next week, but I'm going to find time to write the next three chapters, which I'm VERY excited to write because….ROMANCE! woot woot! But I won't say with whom or what yet…lets just say these next couple of chapters will be fun. But I'll leave the "whom" for you to guess!

I don't own Bleach, but I'd like to meet Tite Kubo, and give him a cupcake..

Enjoy the story! And THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND READING!!!

Sincerely,

Romania Black

**Chapter Nine**

**Transitions are part of the change**

It was an awkward sight. The remnants of humans and Soul Reapers were gathered in Urahara's Shoten, Rukia sitting near Kisuke and Tessai, adjusting her Vice-Captain's badge Kisuke was inquiring her about. Apparently, she'd just been appointed, though she didn't seem fond of her division. Renji was standing, arms crossed against the door behind the three, his mouth curving downward forming a scowl as Jinta teased him about being a freeloader 'again.' Karin guessed this wasn't Vice-Captain Renji's first time there. Ururu was sitting at Renji's feet, looking sad as usual, her hand folded delicately on top of one another.

Karin was sitting on the edge of a windowsill, her thin pale legs swinging to and fro, navy eyes focused on the white-haired Soul Reaper across from her, whose eyes were shifted in a concerned expression across the floor. Toshiro had seemed upset ever since Momo was dragged away by Captain Byakuya and the others; Karin only wished she knew what to do to help. She had no clue what to tell him to comfort him. _Plus_, she mused, her eyes still fixed upon the Captain's face_, he doesn't look like someone that wants to be comforted in the first place…_

"Alright," Kisuke flapped the white fan immediately in front of his face, "I can have Tessai set up some beds for the three of you if you'd like in the back. You're more than welcome to stay here for as long as your mission entails."

"Thank you, Kisuke," Rukia smiled warmly.

"Would you all like something to eat?" Tessai bowed curtly, an arm across his chest, "It's still early afternoon, but I can fix you something if you'd like."

"What?!" Karin's eyes suddenly widened. _Oh Damn, I forgot about Ichigo and Yuzu! They're probably getting ready without me!_

Karin suddenly realized everyone in the shop was looking at her. She tried to scratch the back of her head innocently enough, but innocent was never a great emotion for her to convey well.

"Is something wrong Karin?" Rukia eyed her suspiciously.

"Um, no, not really," Karin gave up on trying to appear innocent and huffed out a sigh, "I had forgotten about my brother's going away party he was having," She sighed, "I need to go back I guess…before my family starts worrying about me."

"Going away party?" Rukia's face formed a deep frown, "Where's he going?"

"Oh! Um," Karin paused. _What do I say? If Ichigo had wanted her to know about Hollow World, I guess he would have already told her… _"College." Karin said, a little later than she should have, because Rukia did not look convinced. "I was trying to think which one," Karin covered, "But I can't remember it."

Rukia's face showed she still wasn't convinced in the slightest. Renji, on the other hand, had already walked past Jinta and Ururu and to Rukia's side, his face full of interest.

"Going away party? Tonight?"

Karin glanced at him, "Yeah, I have to go help get it ready."

"How about we go too?" Renji's question made both Toshiro and Rukia's eyes dart towards him. Renji gave them both a raised eyebrow, "What? It's not like we have anything else to do around here! Besides, those brats are going to annoy the hell out of me if we stay." He shot Jinta a sharp glance, to which Jinta placed a finger under his eye to make a face at him.

Rukia hesitated, but then her face broke into a determined grin, "We might as well bug Ichigo a little before he heads off. Can we, Karin?"

Karin didn't think saying 'no' to the three in front of her was a good idea in any case. That and her father would probably die on the spot if he saw Rukia again. It was a risk she was willing to take. "Sure," She shrugged, "I'm sure my dad won't care either."

Kisuke flapped the fan in front of his face serenely, "Excellent. While you're gone, Tessai can get your room ready!" He turned to Jinta and Ururu, "And you can go with them, right?"

"_Huh_?" Renji glared at Urahara, "I just got done saying we were leaving to go to Ichigo's so we could get _away_ from these brats!"

"Renji," Rukia tried to cut in, her face scowling.

"I understand, Mr. Abarai," Kisuke's mysterious gray eyes lingered, from inside the blackness of his bucket hat, "But Jinta and Ururu still have business to attend to at Mr. Kurosaki's residence, and I'd like for them to finish it tonight."

"Don't argue, Renji," Rukia cautioned, her hand on his chest, "There'll probably be plenty of people there to distance yourself between them." Her blue eyes focused on his, and Karin could feel the pounding pressure of Renji's spiritual energy start to subside. Kisuke smiled widely,

"Alright then!" His singsong voice much cheerier than Karin could remember it being lately, "Let's find you some Gigai and you can get on your way!"

And so, the odd caravan was off. The blistering sun was high above their heads, but already starting its slow and creeping descent into the Western sky. Karin wiped the sweat casually from her forehead as she led the way, regretting the dusty black T-shirt she had decided to wear today. Ururu trailed behind Karin, her hands tucked in front of her, looking complacent if anything. To the side of Ururu was Rukia, who wore a bright teal dress with a white shrug over it, clothes she'd left behind at Kisuke in case such missions to the Real World were needed. In fact, Rukia told Karin that they'd all left clothes at Kisuke's, a notion that made Karin wonder if that was the reason Ichigo had wanted his clothes left there as well.

Renji was behind Rukia, dressed in a white shirt that read "The Red Pineapple" on it in large block letters, and ripped blue jeans. Karin wondered if the shirt was a reference to his thick crimson locks that tied in a ponytail, jutted out like the spikes of a Pineapple. Renji was fending off Jinta, who kept pestering him with questions about his hair and if he was going to 'be a freeloader' again or not. Toshiro trailed last, still looking distant, but dressed in his typical Real World attire: A black polo and light gray skinny jeans. Karin almost did a double take; he looked exactly the same as when she first met him two years ago. _It seems like only yesterday, really…_

"Karin," Rukia's voice snapped Karin back to reality.

"Hmm?" She turned to Rukia, who had walked faster and was now side by side with her, her black hair moving in sync with the summer breeze.

"I was meaning to ask you earlier, since you've been here before us," Rukia's voice was quieter, obviously meaning the conversation to be between the two of them, "but have you noticed…Kisuke's appearance?" She hesitated on the last few words, her eyes sparingly shifting to Ururu for a split moment.

"You noticed too, eh?" Karin shrugged, "I don't know…until you said something, no one else seemed to take much interest in the fact that he looked so bad, you know?"

"I see," Rukia glanced at the ground as if pondering, then looked behind her shoulder, "Miss Ururu," Karin's eyes flew up to Rukia, who was now looking at Ururu. "Would you come up here?"

"What's this?" Renji scowled, pushing Jinta annoyingly behind him, "Are you ladies having a pow-wow or something?"

The girls ignored him, "Yes, Miss Kuchiki?" Ururu asked gently.

Rukia paused, apparently choosing her words carefully. It was an aspect Karin appreciated about her, especially since it was usually the opposite of what her brother would have done. "Has…Has your boss, Mr. Urahara been acting odd lately?" Ururu's face fell slightly. Rukia shook her hands at her chest to try and look easy-going, "What I mean is," her face became slightly more serious, "He's looked a little better in the past, hasn't he?"

Ururu sighed sadly, "He's not been eating lately…or sleeping."

Both Karin and Rukia took a small gasp of air, relieved someone in the Shoten was noticing their master's condition. Ururu continued, unnoticing.

"I'm a little worried about him, he seems on edge," Her eyes scanned Karin and Rukia's concerned faces, then her mouth formed into a thin smile, "But Tessai says he'll be okay soon, and I believe him." She glanced at the ground, her eyes though sad showing a glimmer of hope behind them, "Tessai's known Kisuke longer than anyone, so if he's not worried, we shouldn't be either."

Karin stared at Ururu; she'd never heard her sound so resolved, so sure of anything. It was a bizarre feeling.

Rukia managed to form a smile on her face, her hand placed on Ururu's shoulder, "Thank you, Ururu. I think we can believe Tessai too."

"What the Hell are you three talking about?" Renji's forehead had an enlarged vein; his hand smashed against Jinta's head to keep him at arm's length as the boy kept rushing towards him. Toshiro glanced at the women, his teal eyes looking wary,

"How close is your house, Karin?"

Karin literally froze, he'd never called her by her first name before. She gave the white-haired captain a long stare, to which he huffed frustrated, "Well?" He shouted from behind the group.

"We're almost here," Karin managed to answer, her face forming into a stern gaze, "Just a little bit further."

A little bit further proved to be another half a block, which was filled with Renji's yells about Jinta's harassment, Jinta's denial (and further harassment), followed by Rukia scolding the two for being annoying and attracting attention onto themselves. Ururu did her best to try and calm Jinta, but all this ended up doing was provoking Jinta to grab Ururu by her cockroach-like bangs and yank her head up and down. Renji and Rukia both were now getting onto Jinta; Renji rubbing Jinta's head with his fist, while Rukia tried to pry a very saddened Ururu from his grip.

All the while, Toshiro had casually strolled past them and caught up in step with Karin, who hadn't noticed at first. Then, out of the corner of her eye she saw the white-haired Captain step closer to her, his teal gaze piercing her navy eyes.

"Is that your house up there?" Toshiro pointed to a yellow-paneled house with a large blue and white sign on the front. From this angle, you could only make out the word "Clinic," as it was too angled from them to read the "Kurosaki" part.

Karin nodded, her face feeling a little warmer than usual. She wasn't used to Toshiro being this close, and it had been so long, she felt awkward. _What the hell? Why am I getting warmer? The guy's practically an ice cube… _This was no lie, the captain's skin was icy, and so cold that it was emitting that sensation onto her own skin. Karin shivered.

_Why am I being like this? _Her mind drifted to the battle at the Urahara Shoten. _I acted like such an idiot, screaming and frightened like a rat, _her hands balled into pale fists, her dark navy eyes frustrated, _Why did I act so weak? Why didn't I--_

"Are you okay?" Toshiro broke through her thoughts, giving her a concerned glance, his teal eyes darkening for half a second. Karin nodded, trying to pass off her frustration growing inside her. She knew that look, the look like Toshiro was babying or pitying her. It was the least of her favorite emotions people exhibited around her.

"Fine," Karin said with slight coldness as she turned to the front of the Kurosaki Clinic. By this time, Rukia was smugly walking with Ururu in front of Jinta and Renji, who both bore red marks on their cheeks as if they'd been slapped. Neither of them looked pleased with one another or Rukia and Ururu.

"Okay," Karin breathed her hands clammy as she grasped the cool metal handle of the door. She turned to Toshiro and the others, "The party should be outside in the back, so if we sneak here through the clinic, we should be fine. Just be quiet and don't make sudden noises," She glanced sternly at Renji and Jinta, who both scowled back, offended she had singled them out. "Hopefully, we can make a nice, casual entrance…"

Karin slowly slid the handle back towards her and opened the door. Immediately light flooded in their faces, several joyous screams rang out across the night sky, rainbow confetti flew in Karin's face like a blizzard, and a giant donkey-shaped Piñata flew past Karin's head and smacked Toshiro right between the eyes.

**Sorry to cut the chapter short, but I didn't want to make this too long! Next Chapter, Toshiro and Renji find themselves in Real World "Hell" so to speak, and Rukia has some questions for a certain Deputy Soul Reaper…oh, and Karin deals with a "less-than-parental" parent. **

**THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR READING!**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and if you feel like showing your support, send me a comment or a suggestion you have! I love receiving any feedback possible!**

**Cheers,**

**Romania Black**


	10. Soul Reaper Caravan Approaching: Hell

Hello!

Well, I've been away from Internet the last two weeks; thus I haven't been able to update! So, I'm sorry for that. However, I will have this nice, long chapter and another one SOON to update you with, so hopefully that may make up for it…for now.

A few notes:

1. A **WARNING** for younger viewers, this chapter contains Alcohol references and usage. So you younger readers, you have been warned!

2. I'm sorry this chapter is so long! I wanted it to fit in one, but now I know it'll be a two-chapter event…which is okay by me, if it's okay by you! This one has a **LOT** going on in it!

3. There's been a request by a reader for Kenpachi to come to the real world and meet Nel along with Yachiru…I'm trying my hardest to find a way to wiggle it in…what do you all think? Would an upcoming chapter featuring Kenpachi and Yachiru be something you'd want to see? This chapter and the next is going to feature some familiar Karakura Town minor characters, plus Yuzu and Isshin, as requested from readers, so hopefully you like it!

I don't own Bleach, but I'd like to meet Tite Kubo, and make him a smore and roast hot dogs on an open fire. Yummy…

Enjoy the story! And THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND READING!!!

I hope you like this chapter! It was the hardest chapter for me to write yet.

Sincerely,

Romania Black

**Chapter Ten**

**If there's Heaven on Earth, there's bound to be Hell.**

Toshiro's head bounced back with a snap from the impact of the purple and pink paper piñata, small bits of its fragile skin peeling and landing in the captain's white hair. The captain reeled and swayed in his step, before leaning his head forward, a few inches from Karin's face, panting quietly. Her head felt unusually warm, especially now that it was within such a range from Toshiro's head that she could hear the hiss of his breath near her.

"What in the world," Toshiro haughtily gestured to the floral-colored paper donkey in his arms, "Is this? And why is it so heavy?" He turned it over in his hands, a confused look crossing his face.

Before Karin could answer, a figure flailed its arms to the door, her yellow daisy-colored sundress bouncing in the summer breeze.

"Karin! You made it! I was starting to worry," Yuzu bounded past the open door into her sister's arms, then recoiled instantly. "Oh! You're covered in dust, Karin. What happened to you?"

The dark haired twin scratched the back of her head hesitantly, "Um--"

"She was battling me!" Jinta rushed forward, practically shoving Karin into the still-confused Toshiro, and grabbing Yuzu by the hand.

"Oh?" Yuzu tilted her head gently to the side, her soft hazel eyes glancing uncertain at Jinta. It was a gesture the red-haired boy was used to seeing her display, and one that made his heart secretly burn inside with the fiery desire of any young adolescent boy. Of course, he would never in a million years tell anyone of this passion.

"Yeah!" Jinta grabbed her hand and led her into the brightly-lit clinic, glancing back only to give Karin a _you-owe-me_ glare. He turned back to Yuzu, who looked bewildered. "How's about we go inside and you show me around?" Jinta smiled mischievously at Yuzu. "I've never been in your house before…" his voice trailed off slyly.

Karin was about to protest this in an instant. Karin had always known Jinta liked Yuzu, but she wasn't about to let him run off with her twin sister. _Her innocent, untainted-by-naughty-violent-twisted-boys twin sister_ at that.

Karin opened her mouth to protest against this, when Renji caught her by the arm and swung her back; Toshiro turning towards the two of them as Yuzu shyly nudged Jinta past her inside.

"What are you doing?" Renji scanned Karin's face with an anxious happiness in his eyes, "The brat left us! You don't want to bring him back do you?"

Karin's eyes narrowed, "That's my sister, you moron! I don't want him with her either!"

"Your sister?" Toshiro's teal eyes widened, "Ichigo Kurosaki has _two_ sisters?"

"It's okay," Ururu quietly slid past the three of them, "I'll check on Jinta." She slipped wordlessly into the room of the Clinic. Karin could not have been more grateful in that instance for Ururu being with them. She turned back to Toshiro, still looking disheveled from this new revelation.

"Well, yeah," Karin sighed, expecting someone to ask this sooner or later, "Yuzu and I are twins."

"_What_?" Renji eyed Karin with disbelief. "_She's_ your _twin_ sister?"

Toshiro bore a similar incredulous stare, "How many of you Kurosaki's are there?" His hands were gripped so tightly on the piñata, that it crinkled from the stress, and Karin was sure it would break soon in his palms.

"Just us," Karin smiled nonchalantly. "Well, us and—"

"KARIN!" The door was flung open wide now, and bounding out of it was Isshin, dressed in a most unusual pink and red heart-floral kimono, with a black sash. Renji jumped back in fright, into Rukia, whose arms were crossed and looking bored, almost as if she'd expected the attack. Toshiro, on the other hand, was so thrown off-guard that he couldn't dodge the splash of sake slopping on his face from the container resting in Isshin's hand. Karin glared at her father.

"Goat beard," She groaned miserably, as Toshiro spit the foul-tasting sake out of his mouth with a cough, dropping the piñata to the ground.

"Where've you been, Karin? We waited as long as we could—" Isshin suddenly paused and saw Renji, Toshiro, and Rukia. "RUKIA!" Isshin rushed past the two men and gave the female Soul Reaper a huge hug, lifting her in the air as he did. Rukia, perhaps surprised, perhaps not, gasped in the embrace, but made no attempt to break free. Isshin set her on the ground, "Oh Rukia!" He choked back over-dramatic tears; "My daughter's come home again!"

"_WHAT_?" Renji was flabbergasted; his eyes wide and shocked.

Toshiro stared in awe at Karin, "Don't tell us Rukia's a Kurosaki as well!"

"No, no," Karin gave her father an icy stare, "He just calls her that. She's not really _related_ to us at all…"

"My daughter's," Isshin sobbed onto Rukia's shoulder, who simply patted him awkwardly on the back, her eyes searching for Karin, "C-c—come home again!"

"Goat beard," Karin grabbed him by the collar of his kimono and drug him backwards, "Leave. Rukia. Alone." With each word she said, she tugged at his kimono. Finally, Isshin let go of Rukia and crouched over beside Karin, who looked as if she'd slap him at any given moment. Isshin glanced around at Toshiro and Renji, his face lighting up with new energy, something that worried Karin beyond reason.

"Who are _you_?" Isshin smiled, waving enthusiastically to the two men.

"The tall one's Renji," Karin hissed, her eyes turned away from Isshin, who bore the expression of a curious five-year-old, as Karin grit her teeth, "And the shorter one that you spilled sake on is Toshiro."

Toshiro glanced, irritated, up from trying to wipe sake off his shirt, "That's Captain Hitsugay—"

"Renji!" The five outside turned to the doorway to see Keigo, one of Ichigo's classmates in the doorway, wearing a white polo and khakis, his brown hair slightly grown out from his absence of high school. Renji sighed, _another human, another familiar face, another annoyance._

"Asano," Renji nodded. He didn't have much to say to the boy.

Tatsuki and Uryu poked their heads outside the door, Tatsuki in her normal white T-shirt and cargo shorts, the latter in black slacks and a yellow short-sleeved shirt. Uryu shoved his glasses up onto his nose further as he studied the group. Rukia smiled serenely,

"Uryu! It's been a while." Her voice wasn't loud, but oddly it carried over the noise of the people gathered around. The dark haired man casually shrugged,

"It has. What brings you to the Real World?" he walked past Renji, who was being drug, much to his dismay, by Keigo into the Clinic, Tatsuki following with a smug look on her face behind them.

As Karin watched the trio leave them curiously, she noticed something that made her flesh freeze. Toshiro and Karin were suddenly alone with Isshin, as Rukia was conversing with Uryu. Karin glanced at Toshiro for the first time with a new feeling rising in the pit of her stomach: nervousness.

Isshin, apparently oblivious to the awkward tension, glanced at the two and then broke into his signature larger than life grin. "So, Toshiro, did Karin invite you to the party?"

The small Captain gave the smiling man a sharp glare, then lowered his gaze, "Yes, Karin asked us to join her here," he replied professionally.

Isshin took another swig of sake and against Karin's innermost wishes and prayers, laid a hand on Toshiro's shoulder in a very parental fashion. Karin pleaded in her mind for him to simply leave the gesture at that. Her father apparently wasn't a mind reader either.

Isshin let out an over-dramatic sob as he rested his head against Toshiro's shoulder, the sake bottle dripping onto the arm of the quite speechless Toshiro. "My daughter's growing up so fast," Karin's face turned pink, "getting a date to her brother's going away party!" Isshin glanced up, his face in a huge grin, "That's my gir—"

"_ARRRGH_!" Karin screamed and grabbed her father by the collar of his pink kimono, flinging him into the house in rage, "GO PASS OUT IN THE ABYSS OF YOUR LAME LIFE!" She yelled, ignoring Isshin's faint rebuttal.

"Did he say 'date'?" Toshiro stared with a blank expression, seemingly quite surprised by this notion. Karin sighed, her cheeks stained with red. _At least he's not mad, _she thought. Then, as the two walked into the clinic, avoiding her father lying on the floor, she wondered with a sudden rush of confusion why he wasn't.

"Uryu," Rukia had conversed with him a few minutes longer before they joined everyone indoors, the summer sun starting to set on the Western edge of town, turning the sky purple and red, "Where's Orihime? I suspected she'd be here…" Her words trailed off, as she waited for his reply. Uryu's expression seemed indifferent, but Rukia could tell he was offset by her question.

"I called her earlier, but she said she wasn't going to be able to make it." Uryu answered abruptly as he sipped on the pink punch he'd picked up beside the snack table.

"Oh," Rukia decided not to venture further into the topic. She had guessed that Uryu desired to be more than friends with Orihime, but apparently she hadn't shared that same feeling. She reckoned he must have been crushed by that rejection. "There's," She looked around trying to find something else to stir up conversation, "not a lot of people here I know." She sighed with a small smile.

Uryu seemed happy at her changing the subject, because he laughed lightly, "Heh, same here, I don't know anyone except your group and the twins…well, and our classmates, but only a handful of them."

"Speaking of which," Rukia looked around again, her brow furrowing. _I can sense them nearby but…_ "Where _is_ Renji and Captain Hitsugaya?"

"What is that?" Renji was far from Rukia's sight, or rather just outside of it, in the kitchen. Keigo and Tatsuki were giving him a tour of the house, but Keigo had abandoned the two in the kitchen after he'd spotted a tall blonde classmate with a fairly large chest walk by them.

Tatsuki took a sip from the silver container, "Whiskey." She replied with a small rough cough, wiping her mouth with her fist. "Keigo's sister went to study abroad in Ireland her first semester of college last year and brought it back."

Renji didn't know what the Hell this 'college' was or where 'Ireland' was located, but the smell from the small silver flask was intriguing. "Is it liquor?"

"Yeah, it's good liquor too," Tatsuki smiled smugly, "Imported. Do you drink?"

"Occasionally," Renji lied. Despite his rough exterior and 'bad boy' appearance, he was surprisingly a light weight, or at least '_light weight'_ was what Shunsui called him once, after Byakuya and Shunsui took him out for a celebratory drink when he became Vice Captain of the Sixth Division.

Tatsuki was obviously not impressed by his answer; rather she took it as the start of a challenge. "Oh? That's a shame. Whiskey's a tough drink," She lowered the flask in a nonchalant fashion to her hip, "Not many people are man enough to drink it."

The bait was set and Renji was hooked like a fish, "Really?" His face broke into a devilish grin, "Is that right?"

Tatsuki smiled, seeing the challenge forming, "I'm just saying you probably couldn't handle one drink of this stuff," her eyes narrowed mischievously, "much less out drink someone like me," She sipped the flask slowly. Renji raised a tattooed eyebrow,

"Ha!" He laughed from his gut, "We'll see about that." He motioned towards the kitchen table, "Sit down there. I'll grab some cups and we'll see who can handle this 'imported' drink the best!"

Tatsuki gripped the chair and slid herself into it; "You're on."

While Renji wasn't quite slipping from purgatory into Hell, Toshiro felt like he was. There were several people here he had never seen before. The ones he had, he wasn't interested in talking to, but they seemed to want to converse endlessly with him. All of Karin's friends, whom he had helped win a soccer game with once while on mission here, wanted to know where he'd been. It was hard enough for him to make excuses, but to make matters worse, he was constantly asked if he was Karin's 'special friend' or 'Karin's date,' a title he was not interested in bearing in the slightest, and also made him feel slightly nervous and uneasy.

Of course, Karin wasn't near him long enough for the rumor of them 'dating' to spread. No, instead of helping him escape questioning, Karin was scanning the rooms for Ururu, Jinta, and Yuzu, whom she had a sneaky suspicion were up to no good. Karin peeked around the edge of the door into the bathroom to find no one in there. She sighed in slight frustration. _Where are they? Why are they here with the other guests…?_

"Karin?" Ururu's voice distracted Karin from the door as she spun around to face the one speaking to her. Ururu's sad navy eyes met hers. "Are you looking for Jinta too?'

"Huh?" Karin's face broke into a worried frown, "I thought you were watching them."

Ururu gave her an even sadder expression, "I was, but then there was a crowd that got in between us, and they vanished." She replied meekly.

"Damn it," Karin swore angrily, looking away and around the room. _Where the Hell did they go? If Jinta even thinks about doing anything to Yuzu I'll—_

"I could help you look for them," Ururu's voice shattered Karin's thoughts.

Karin gave her a blank stare and then the words sank in. "Oh! Yeah, yeah let's go look for them." She gave Toshiro a short glance, one of mingled pity and apology. The Captain glared at her,

"Where are you two going?" He asked in a more serious, aggravated tone, his teal eyes narrowing.

"Upstairs," Karin replied quickly, dragging Ururu with her. "Stay there! We'll be right back!" She called to him, as they trudged up the stairs. The small Captain gave her an infuriated expression; she owed him for this torture she was putting him through.

"So, Toshiro," One of Karin's friends asked, his wide grin looking goofy and childish, oblivious to Karin and Ururu, "What classes did you take last semester?"

The small captain glanced at him quickly with one eye, "I didn't take any." He stated bluntly, wondering why this person was still talking to him.

"Oh…" The boy paused with wide eyes, and Toshiro hoped he was finished with the conversation. "…So what classes are you taking _this_ semester?"

Captain Hitsugaya's shoulders fell and his face dropped into one hand, sighing heavily. He stared miserably at the boy explaining his own classes he was taking, and cursing his youthful appearance, he didn't notice Rukia sneak up the stairs, unbeknownst to Karin, Ururu, or anyone else there for that matter.

Rukia saw the two girls walking ahead of her, but kept a distance, afraid they'd follow her if she were seen. She hid along the hallway wall as the girls turned quietly down the corridor toward Karin and Yuzu's room. Rukia glanced shiftily at them before going the opposite way.

In the kitchen, Renji slammed the shot glass on the table, a satisfied grin stretching across his long face. He had four other glasses around the one he'd just finished, small drops of orange-brown liquid forming miniscule beads on the tabletop. He leaned forward in his chair a little, a piece of his crimson hair falling in his face, but he didn't think to swipe it back into place. Tatsuki chuckled, her hand slowly twirling the clear empty glass in her hand.

"Not bad," She stared triumphantly, "But I can tell it's getting to you." She smiled wickedly, placing one of the five small glasses in front of her and filling it to the brim with the whiskey.

"Getting to me?" Renji stammered, his smile still plastered to his face, "No, no, no, no, no, I'm fine." But his cheerier tone and slightly pink out eyes told otherwise. Tatsuki laughed,

"That's what they all say." She raised the shot to her mouth, as she poured him another, "Put your money where your mouth is."

Renji noticed for the first time that her voice was a little haughtier, and there was a slight pounding rising in his throat that he couldn't explain quite thoroughly at the present. He carefully picked up the glass, eyed it, then turned his focus to the woman across the table from him, and they connected glasses with a small clink of glass, before gulping down the liquid in one swift throw of their wrists.

The door to Ichigo's room was opened slightly, fresh moonlight pouring into the hallway. The lights were turned off, save for one desk lamp on Ichigo's desk that cast an odd yellow glow to the corner of the room beside the open window. Ichigo was sitting on his bed, lacing up his black shoes, as Nel shoved the last cardboard box into the corner beside the closet. There was now a stack of cardboard boxes in this corner, and Ichigo's room looked bare, save the desk lamp, desk and his bed.

"Dat's evwhething," Nel cooed, climbing atop the bed to sit beside him. Ichigo patted her mask softly, his eyes unusually gentle as rarely were around anyone but Nel. He considered Nel as more of a child of his own, rather than just his friend, sometimes. "Whatcha gonna do with your body here on Earth?" She asked.

Ichigo sighed, he hadn't gave _that_ much thought, "Probably let Kon use it for a while," he said with a frown, "I'll just be worried he'll run off and do something stupid in it." He turned to Nel and gave her a sharp glance, "You know Kon—"

"At least he'll get more action than you—"

The stranger's voice finishing his sentence gave him such a fright that he nearly fell off the bed. Nel squealed and hid behind Ichigo, saving him from flying backward off the bed. The two looked up with awe-struck faces to see Rukia standing in front of them, her thin body bathed in the white moonlight, her blue eyes piercing in the night.

"—Ichigo." She finished, her arms crossed at her chest, legs spread wide in her stance. Ichigo stared at her with a surprised and happy expression, Nel still clutching his arm from behind.

"Rukia…" he smiled warmly at his friend who stood before him. "I haven't seen you in a while."

To this, Rukia replied by kicking him off the bed with a foot in the face.

Ichigo toppled off the bed and fell with a loud crash, grabbing his nose with his fingers and raising up in a fury. "What the Heck was that about Rukia?!" He yelled, as Nel stared at the two of them in silence.

"You idiot!" She replied, her eyes glaring, "_Haven't seen you in a while_," She mocked him, "Are you kidding? I haven't heard a word from you in months!" She looked around the room and her eyes fell on the cardboard boxes. She pointed to them and spun at him angrily, "And those! What's are those boxes for? Going to _college_? Don't think I believe that for a second, Ichigo."

Ichigo rubbed his nose, "Rukia…"

"Shut up," She barked, turning away from him, but standing in place. "How dare you not tell me you were leaving! If Karin hadn't invited us here, I wouldn't have even known you were going anywhere." She turned back to him with a sour expression on her face, one of disgust, "And don't even _think_ about saying you're going to college. I won't believe you."

Ichigo stared at her in silence for a moment, the moonlight shining eerily on their faces. Nel whimpered softly next to Ichigo as he sat back beside her, her pudgy arms clinging to his arm tightly. He rubbed the back of his head and slouched, arms resting on his knees.

"I didn't think you'd care to know where I was going to be honest," He said slowly. His brown eyes glanced at her darkly, "You sure didn't care to tell me about your promotion to Vice Captain."

The words pierced through the air like daggers. Rukia's eyes darted to Ichigo, her face pale. Ichigo gave a breathy, grim laugh.

"Yeah, Tessai contacted the house to tell me that there was an Arrancar at the Shoten today, but that you had it under control. He said, 'don't worry about coming over here. We have the strength of three captains and three vice captains,' so of course I had to ask who…" His voice trailed off, eyes still on the stark face of his friend, "and there it was—"

"Ichigo," Rukia started, but Ichigo cut her off.

"Don't worry about it. I'm not mad," He sighed softly, "I just was sad you didn't tell me sooner, so I could have avoided congratulating you so late."

Rukia's face gained some color back, her eyes glowing in the yellow glare of the desk lamp. "Thank you, Ichigo…but really, it's not a promotion worth telling about."

"What do you mean?" Ichigo stood up, Nel wrapped around his arm, standing on the bed, "You're a Vice Captain. Isn't that an important title?" Rukia sighed, looking away,

"Izuru was promoted recently to help get support from the third division raised again, since they've fell into a slight downward spiral of spirit after Ichimaru's absence. I was elected to serve as Vice Captain because I qualified and because of my ties here in the Real World. They figured I could help train officers here." She paused and laughed a light but dark laugh, "It's a mess to be honest."

Ichigo stared at her for a moment, then a playful smile formed on his serious features, "I'm surprised Byakuya let you take the office. Isn't he a little over protective of you at times?"

Rukia didn't laugh, or grin, but her serious expression became one more of bitter sarcasm, "At times? That's easy to say. Actually, he didn't have a choice in the matter. Kira asked Momo to become his Vice Captain to begin with, but she turned him down. I was his second choice."

"Why'd she turn it down?"

"I don't know," Rukia shrugged, "She wanted to stay in the Fifth Division I guess. Who knows." She looked around at the boxes again and realized they were veering off topic. "But that's not important. The important thing to me is where you're going Ichigo Kurosaki." She gave him a stern motherly look, her hands grasping her hips.

Ichigo grinned, knowing there was no way out of this explanation no matter how hard he tried, and motioned for her to sit down.

"Take a seat by Nel, and I'll tell you everything."

**I decided to stop there for this chapter, and spare you a SUPER long chapter. I hope you all liked how this one went and where it's going! ^_^ **

**Next Chapter, Ichigo has someone else to visit before he "leaves" the Real World. Toshiro has to be rescued by Rukia, but not before reuniting with someone who's not her "best friend" in the world. Karin and Ururu are searching for Yuzu and Jinta, and Renji might have had too much drink for his Gigai to handle…you'll see why! **

**THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THE SUPPORT AND REVIEWS!**

**If you have any suggestions or requests, don't hesitate to comment. I'm grateful for all the feedback you offer me. Thank you! Thank you. **

**Cheers, **

**Romania Black**


	11. Not Goodbye, Just Catch Ya Later

Hello!

So, I had two questions from reviewers last chapter I'd like to clear up real quick before we continue:

To Digiwriter1392: Ichigo explains (somewhat) where he's going in this chapter! Thanks for the review though!

To Revolation: HA!! I would love if I could have worked the Vizards into the going away party! Don't think that they won't be making a special appearance soon though! Many thanks for the inspiration! The piñata was from Chapter 9, the end of it, and As for Tatsuki/Renji…keep reading this and the next chapter is all I'll say.

MANY thanks to the readers who sent in reviews! It always feels great hearing thoughts about the chapter and suggestions from readers! You keep me writing!

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **I originally wanted to make this all one final chapter, but it would have been over 3000 words, and seemed a bit long, or rather, too much in one chapter, so I split it up. But I'm adding both chapters at the same time, so a double chapter extravaganza! Haha I hope you like these chapters!

I don't own Bleach, but I'd like to meet Tite Kubo!

Enjoy the story! And THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND READING!!!

Sincerely,

Romania Black

**Chapter Eleven**

_**Goodbye is a word we'd rather not say.**_

The light in Yuzu and Karin's room was dim, almost like that in a run-down hospital. Yuzu apologized to Jinta as she stood by her desk, papers and pencils scattered across its surface,

"Sorry about the light," She smiled serenely, "Dad promised to fix it this week—"

"Eh, that's okay," Jinta wasn't upset that the room was poorly lit. It reminded him of the Shoten, which always had terrible lighting, due to the fact that Kisuke and Tessai constantly forgot to buy new light bulbs. "I don't mind it," He added, moving closer to Yuzu, who smiled in relief. She hated the idea of being a bad hostess.

The two glanced around the room; this was the last stop of Yuzu's tour of the Kurosaki house. She had no intention of showing them Ichigo or her father's room; it would be disrespectful to lead Jinta through her father's room, and Jinta said he wasn't interested in seeing Ichigo's…so here they were.

Jinta couldn't help but look up at her as she was turned away. She truly was a goddess to him, her soft honey hair cut short just below her ears exposing her long neck, dark brown eyes, and big eyelashes. Ever since he'd first met her, he could almost smell a delicate scent of rain from her hair. Two years ago, it was annoying to him, her girlish behavior and whiny attitude. But now, as adolescence was slowly seeping into his skin, the annoyance had transferred to a different feeling altogether.

Slowly he leaned in to smell her intoxicating hair, nothing too drastic. She was looking at the messy desk beside them, not paying attention to his near-drawing body. "This desk," She sighed, and Jinta could almost smell peppermint in the air near her, "It's really cluttered. I should probably clean it up tomorrow," She was rambling on, and he was drawing closer. Jinta chuckled in his head. _What if she turns and we just happen to…meet? _He was within a few inches of her face now…

If he hadn't been able to register Ururu's spiritual pressure, Jinta would have received a direct punch in the face from her at that second. Luckily for him, he sensed her fists fly towards his face and jumped away from Yuzu, into the opposite desk, belonging to Karin.

Yuzu let out a yelp of surprise, as Ururu flashed past her, her feet skidding her to a stop on the carpet. Jinta was gripping the edges of Karin's desk with white knuckles, his breath sputtering out in small pants.

"URURU!" Jinta yelled furiously, not only mad that she'd almost knocked him unconscious, but that she'd spoiled his near-accidental kiss with Yuzu. "Damn it, what are you doing?"

Karin's hand was gripping the collar of his shirt in a flash, her navy eyes scorching his retinas, "Stopping you from man-handling my sister, you idiot!" She shook him in his place.

Yuzu looked utterly confused. "Man-handled?"

"Sorry, Jinta," Ururu whispered sadly, her fists at her side, "But Karin's right. We came here for a reason…and I don't think this was it."

"What the hell?" Jinta smacked Karin's hand and wrestled from her grip, cheeks flaming red; "I wasn't doing nothing to Yuzu! She was giving me a tour of the house…YOU'RE the idiot!" He couldn't believe the humiliation they were putting him through.

"Oh _sure_," Karin's eyes were like liquid fire, as she gripped his shoulder and started dragging him out of the room, Ururu quietly following and Yuzu looking positively bewildered, "And I'm a Hollow's niece," She growled sarcastically.

_No, just his sister, _Ururu thought, amusingly as they walked into the hall towards the stairs, ignoring the voices coming from Ichigo's room.

"So let me get this straight," Rukia scratched her head, her blue eyes staring at Ichigo and Nel who sat across from her on the bed, "You're going to train in Hueco Mundo…for a year—"

"Probably more," Nel cut in, while sucking her thumb.

"—Or more," Rukia noted, still tracing Ichigo's face with her gaze, "to find out more about the possibility of remaining Arrancar left behind by Aizen," Her eyes shot at Nel for a split moment, "before returning to the Soul Society and reporting what you've found…is that right?"

Ichigo glanced around his room, apparently only paying half attention. "Yeah, that's the basic idea. Urahara suggested I train in Hueco Mundo to help me control and learn more about my Hollow abilities."

Rukia's frown deepened, her eyes scanning his. She felt there was more he should be telling her. "And you're going…alone? To Hueco Mundo?"

Ichigo looked up, a little startled, "Oh, no. I'm taking Nel with me," He motioned to the small child on the bed beside them sucking her thumb with large innocent eyes.

Rukia did not look reassured, "I don't know…" She gave Ichigo a worried expression, "I don't like this. Isn't there somewhere else you could train?"

The male Soul Reaper stood and stretched, his long frame peeking from under his shirt. Rukia did her best to avert her eyes. "Sorry," Ichigo said in a half-yawn, "I have to go and do this." He gave Rukia a serious stare, to which the female Soul Reaper scoffed,

"Fine," She realized arguing wouldn't change his mind. "Just be careful, Ichigo." _I don't want you to get yourself hurt… or worse, _she wanted to say, but held it back.

Ichigo slowly laid a hand on her shoulder, his face a stern frown, "Don't worry about me, Rukia," his frown eased up slightly, "when am I not careful?"

Nel glanced up surprised; "What do ya mean, Itsygo? There was dat time with dose hollows in the par—"

Ichigo's sudden glare made Nel quiet and glance down silently to the floor.

Rukia grinned grimly, rising to her feet. "I'm not worried about you," She gave him a sincere stare. "Not getting hurt anyway…"

Ichigo's hard gaze softened for a second, "Rukia…"

A loud crash echoing through the house, like a dozen plates or glasses, destroyed the calm silence between the two Soul Reapers.

Ichigo bore a fierce, ready-to-fight, stare, "What the hell was that?"

Rukia closed her eyes and concentrated, _This spiritual pressure…_ her eyes widened, the moonlight dancing in her blue irises. "Renji!" She gasped, and Ichigo let out a small sigh, calming down.

"Looks like you better get back downstairs," Ichigo smirked.

Rukia reached the door, her hand on the knob. She was looking at the ground in front of the door, her eyes half closed in apparent sadness. She didn't want to say it. "Ichigo…is this goodbye…for now?"

Ichigo looked mildly surprised by her tone, his eyes softening, but his smirk widening, "Nah, no goodbye. Just a 'Catch ya later,' or something like that."

Rukia smiled despite the mist welling in her eyes, her face still looking towards the ground, not wanting to face him like this. "I see," she was in the hall, the door closing behind her, "Catch you later then…Ichigo."

The door shut heavily behind her. For a second, Rukia felt numb, her hand coldly slid against the dry wall next to her. She breathed in for few moments. _He'll be fine, he'll be fine, _she chanted to herself. _You have to go and make sure Renji's okay…he'll be fi—_

"_RUKIA_!"

The diminutive yellow lion burst from the bottom of the stairs and attached itself to Rukia's leg, hugging, or rather doing something different than 'hugging', it as tight as any stuffed animal could. "My darling Rukia," he squealed, "You've come back to m—"

Rukia kicked the modified spirit off her leg and stomped his head into the carpet, her face bearing an aggravated expression.

"Kon," She growled, her foot twisting the stuffed animal frame. The stuffed lion gulped underneath her, trying all the while to catch a peek up her teal dress.

"ACK! RUKIA! _RUKIA_!" He spat, then caught a glimpse up the dress, his beady black eyes suddenly gleaming greedily, "Nevermind, Rukia dear! I have a great view from down her—"

Rukia kicked Kon swiftly against the wall, her arms crossing tensely as she walked past his limp animal-state lying on the floor. "Kon, go to Ichigo's room," She didn't look at the mod soul as she walked down the stairs, "He's looking for you." And much to the displeasure of the small Karakura King, that was the only time he saw her that night.

She had other matters to attend to, as did Ichigo.

Next chapter finishes up the Kurosaki Going Away Party…let's just say it's interesting. ^_^

**THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!**

**SPECIAL THANKS to reviewers so far:**

**Digiwriter1392, Revolation, Taeniaea, Orangesz, DD, Kage, and Chibi Chan! **

**If you have any comments or suggestions, just review the story! I love reading your ideas, they're pretty inspiring to me for future chapters.**

**Many thanks and best wishes,**

**Romania Black**


	12. Overconsumption and Its Effects

Hello!

Ah, this is the second part of the Going Away Party Chapter…it's one big scene, and it was nerve-racking to write... All I'm going to say is that this is my _**first**_ Bleach Romance scene I've ever written…I'm not sure how you'll take it…but let me know!

-So, Rated **TEEN** for Alcohol and some romantic scenes-

I do not own anything from Bleach, but Tite Kubo is awesome. Read the Manga! ^_^

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! ENJOY THE CHAPTER!

Sincerely,

Romania Black

**Chapter Twelve**

**_Overconsumption is sometimes better than Starvation._**

The living room was crowded with people, looking nervously, some anxiously, toward the kitchen, but keeping a distance from it. Rukia fought her way through several people, trying to see if she could spot Renji. She looked for crimson hair, but instead saw white.

"Captain Hitsugaya!" Rukia called out. Most of the people there stared at her as if she was crazy, some backing away in slight recoil. The small Captain, however, glanced back quickly, his teal eyes widening.

"Rukia!" He responded, in a mix of surprise and relief. "Come here, quickly!"

The female Soul Reaper shoved past three people in front of her until she'd met up with Toshiro. To her own surprise, Ururu, Jinta, Yuzu, and Karin were standing with him, all four looking as concerned as Toshiro, but none as disgusted as the small captain.

"There you are," Yuzu smiled. "We were wondering where you ran off to!"

Karin stared silently; she knew Rukia had been talking with Ichigo. She had sensed her near herself and Yuzu upstairs. Karin looked towards the staircase; she wondered if Ichigo had already left for the Hollow World or not. _Did Rukia know why he was going there?_

"What's happening?" Rukia questioned, her brows furrowing in a concerned stare. Karin sighed, rubbing the back of her head with her hand. Rukia didn't know what to make of this. "I heard a crash earlier—" She started, "—I didn't know if it was—"

"Renji?" Karin raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, that was him all right."

Rukia stared blankly, "Is he alright? Where is he?"

"He's in the kitchen," Ururu stated quietly, "But everyone's afraid to go in there…" her voice trailed off as she turned to look back in the kitchen.

"I was about to go in there myself," Toshiro added, his eyes looking cold as steel. Obviously, he wasn't thrilled about this in any way, shape, or form.

"What—wait—everyone's afraid?" Rukia stammered, dumbstruck. "Why?"

"Don't you know?" Jinta looked up at her with light honey eyes that reflected cold fury, "Because he's drunk off his ass that's why!"

There was a pause, and all eyes in the group fell on Rukia and Jinta, who huffed in impatience and annoyance at Rukia's naivete. Rukia stared into the kitchen blankly, her face expressionless.

"This is ridiculous," Toshiro mumbled, "I should just go in there myself—"

"COMING THROUGH!" Isshin burst from the kitchen, to the gasps of the crowd gathered around. He was sweating heavily, the top collar of his pink kimono drenched. He smelled like liquor, and the spots splattered across the fabric suggested someone had spilled a drink or two on him. Isshin rushed out of the doorway, Keigo behind him, looking pale and flustered, his shirt soaked as well. The group noticed that Isshin was carrying someone over his shoulder, someone with short black hair.

"Tatsuki!" Karin yelped, her eyes widening. She gave her father a furious look, "Were you drinking with them, Goat Beard?!"

The girl on Isshin's shoulder let out a small groan and clasped her hand across her mouth, as if to hold something in. She was sweaty, and smelled of heavy liquor. Toshiro grimaced at the sight of her.

"What happened?" He tried to hold his breath; she reeked so much of alcohol.

"Looks like our friend had a little too much to drink," Isshin smiled clumsily, obviously sweating due to the fact he was hoisting her on his shoulder. "Too much Whiskey'll do that to you," He mused, almost reminiscing. He looked at Karin, "Mr. Asano and I are going to put Tatsuki to bed in your room if that's okay," He glanced at Yuzu too.

Both girls nodded, Tatsuki looked like she needed to lay down, fast. "That's fine," Karin said softly, staring in amazement at Tatsuki, who looked near unconsciousness.

"Rukia," Isshin glanced at the female Soul Reaper, his gaze sharpening and growing more stern. "Your friend's had a little too much also…"

"It's alright," Rukia answered, nodding her head curtly, "I'll get Renji and we'll leave here, so he doesn't break anything else or cause a stir."

Isshin nodded, making a small smirk on his lips. "Thank you, Rukia." She'd never seen him this stern or serious before. It was almost frightening; she didn't know what to make of it, except that Renji must be extraordinarily drunk. To be honest, she'd never even seen him drink before.

"Go on, Rukia," Karin nudged her forward, and Captain Hitsugaya nodded his head deeply; he was ready to leave this dreadful place.

Rukia timidly walked into the kitchen, the others outside giving her space and backing from the doorway almost silently. She looked in the doorway as she took a step and spotted Renji at the kitchen table immediately. She let out a small gasp.

The table bore several small clear glasses; some turned over, alongside three large jugs that had the trace of brownish-orange liquid on the corners of the glass. If Renji and Tatsuki had consumed all this liquor, it was a hellish amount, definitely more than a human should consume in a single sitting.

Renji was standing, but his hands were slammed against the table for support, his crimson hair half in the ponytail at the back of his head, the other half hanging in his face that was looking toward the ground. His breath was in deep quiet breaths, sweat beading on his brow. Rukia could smell the whiskey from the few feet away that she was standing.

She moved slowly towards him, stepping over the crinkling porcelain under her feet. It appeared as if the two had tried to pull more glasses from the cabinet, but ended up pulling down a set of china instead. White pieces of china, like bits of a hollow's mask, were scattered across the linoleum.

"Renji?" Rukia asked softly, reaching out a hand to touch his shoulder.

The Soul Reaper looked up so quickly, Rukia nearly yelped in fright. His eyes were bloodshot, looking at her as if she was far away. "R—Rrrukia," He slurred. "'Sow's, err, Swhere's ya been, Rukia?" He asked, an almost cheerful sarcastic grin bearing on his face, "You're late for the contest."

Rukia glared at him and tried to steady him to his feet, as he was swaying unsteadily in his place; she was afraid he'd fall and crack his head open if she didn't do something to help. "Contest?" _I've never seen him this drunk! Then again, when's the last time he ever drank?_

"Yeah, Ti—Tatsu—ukiki—and I were havin' a drinkin' contest," He stammered and fell against Rukia, looking down at her as she held him up. "I'm a man, Rukia," He stated in drunken triumph, referring to having successfully out-drank Tatsuki with the 'man's drink' of whiskey. But Rukia didn't know that's what he meant.

She stared in angry incredulity at him, "I know you're a man, Renji," She stated, her eyes narrowed; she realized why she'd never seen him drunk. _Who would want to be around him when he's like this?_

"Nah, nah you don't," Renji stuttered angrily, as Rukia tried to get him away from the table. "Let's get another d-d-drink and—and I'll show you," He reached out his arm feebly towards one of the cabinets, the one where the broken dishes had came from.

"No, Renji," Rukia, who had one arm hoisting Renji up, tried to swing around and grab his arm to stop it.

The arm changed course and instead wrapped itself around Rukia's waist. She was happy in that instant that he'd decided not to go for the drink, but quite unsure what to make of this new move.

"Renji, are you okay?" Rukia glanced up at him. The whiskey didn't reek as bad once you were used to it, but he still looked on the verge of collapse. "I don't think you've drank this much before."

"I'm a man, Rukia," Renji slurred proudly, his chest stuck out despite his drunkenness, "I can take this stuff."

Rukia's eyes narrowed in fury; he was starting to tick her off with his drunken stupor. "Renji, that's it, we're leaving now…I don't think you could last another minute in your state anyway!" She started to walk him swiftly out the door, but he grabbed her body as if it was a rag doll and backed it against the wall near the table, blocking them from view of the crowd.

Renji had her pinned against the wall, his hands now gripping her shoulders. Her knees seemed to almost bend as she was propped against the wall, her arms almost trembling at her sides.

She was about to yell out something about his stupidity and how he could have hurt her just then, but the drunken Renji didn't offer her a chance to do this. Instead, he bent down and fiercely dove in to connect his mouth and hers.

Renji kissed Rukia so hard, she thought that her head might crash through the wall into the living room. His mouth sucked on hers, his breath intoxicating and strong, almost making her head fuzzy as Renji's hands slowly slid down Rukia's smooth arms and tucked around her waist, pulling her in to him, his crimson hair falling against her head and shoulder.

He rubbed her back with his large hands as he drunkenly tilted his head from her, disconnecting the kiss, his reddened eyes glancing down at her as his mouth formed a smug look of satisfaction.

Rukia stared at him with a look that bridged the feelings of confusion, terror, ecstasy, and pure unadulterated rage.

Renji leaned back towards her, "Rukia…"

She punched him so hard in the face; he ricocheted off cabinets beside them and tumbled into the living room floor, amidst a group of curious and confused people. All of who had not witnessed what had just happened.

Toshiro stared at Renji lying unconscious on the floor to Rukia, who was wiping her mouth, looking both stunned and oddly pleased with herself. She glanced at Jinta and Ururu.

"You two go upstairs and grab some of Ichigo's boxes and meet us outside. We can get the rest tomorrow." The two employees nodded hesitantly and turned to the stairs.

She looked down at the limp Vice Captain's body drooling below her, her mind filled with a million thoughts, but none of them making any sense to her. The most obvious thoughts were _why would you do something like that, Renji? Is that really the effect of alcohol on you? _And then, surprisingly to her…

She found she wanted him to do it again.

She quickly threw these thoughts from her mind and turned at the Captain in front of her. "Toshiro, help me carry Renji…I think we've overstayed our welcome here tonight."

"I agree," He stated with no reluctance, much to Karin's dismay. She had hoped they would stay longer; she really didn't have any time to be around Toshiro at all. The captain looked down at Renji, his eyes mingled with disgust and pity, "Who knew he was such a light weight…"

"Toshiro," Karin timidly called his name as him and Rukia drug Renji across their arms and started walking out the door. The white haired boy turned and glanced at her indifferently.

"What?"

"Can I come and see you guys tomorrow?"

The Captain turned and gave her a curious stare. _Why was she asking him?_

"Toshiro," Rukia was struggling holding half of Renji up, "We have to go, before he wakes up." She didn't want the events of the kitchen repeated…at least, not in front of all these people.

"Y-yes," Toshiro replied quickly, and Karin's eyes lit up, "You can come by…of course. It's not my place to say no." He turned and the three walked out the door, leaving a hopeful Karin, excited by this acceptance, and a very confused audience including Yuzu and Isshin standing in the living room.

"Wow," Yuzu breathed, stunned at the incident.

"Yeah…" Isshin stared at the three leaving with wide eyes, "Who knew my Daughter could punch like that!?" He shouted happily, and the other guests laughed out loud, resuming their conversation as if nothing had ever happened.

**_What did you think?_**

**_How was my first romantic Bleach moment? _**

**_I hope you liked this chapter; Let me know what you thought!_**

**_THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING!!! You all are my inspiration for this!_**

**_Cheers,_**

**_Romania Black_**


	13. Permission for Submission

Hello!

So, I originally didn't want to make this chapter, but I had no other way of explaining the next chapter without it. So, anyway, I hope you like it.

A SPECIAL thanks to DD, who liked my first romantic Bleach scene! Woohoo! Thanks!!! Don't worry, I think you'll like the next chapter A LOT then! ;)

I do not own anything from Bleach, but Tite Kubo is awesome. Read the Manga! ^_^

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! ENJOY THE CHAPTER! I'll have the next chapter out ASAP, but I'm on vacation, and brought you this chapter via the WiFii I found in the nearest restaurant! :)

Sincerely from Buffalo Wild Wings,

Romania Black

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Permission is merely a Formal Submission**

It was night in the Sereitai, the wind was much colder than it had been the last few nights. Luckily, for Captain Byakuya Kuchiki, he did not suffer the skin biting winds from inside the corridors of his solitary mansion. No, Captain Kuchiki was satisfied at the warmth of the fire before him as he sat in his velvet cushioned arm chair, his hand holding a piece of parchment, reading it silently, as the other hand had draped a satin sheet across his lap.

The isolation of the mansion was dreary at times, but at moments such as this, Byakuya preferred the quiet. The silence allowed him his privacy, his time to ponder the thoughts of the day, and to calm those notions that stirred in his head, struggling to break the surface of his subconscious.

These thoughts were mostly about the woman whose face was sketched in black ink on the parchment he held delicately in his fingers.

"Hisana," he spoke her name softly, as if it was sacred; which to him it was.

Beside the caricature of her face was a small note. It was only ten words long, but these words meant more to Byakuya than the riches in the entire mansion combined. Byakuya stroked the handwriting, almost as if he could feel the ink rising from the parchment and leaving traces of her spirit on his fingers.

The sudden knocking at the front door broke Byakuya from his moment of passionate reminiscence and was enough to nearly send him in a rage, had he not maintained his noble charm, not knowing who was at the door.

The stoic captain opened the door smoothly, his gray eyes coldly staring down at the figure below him. He stepped aside slowly, his gaze never tracing away from the intruder's face.

Of all the people that could have disturbed him, she was the last one he'd ever expected or desired. With a swift step forward, Yoruichi Shihouin withdrew her long ragged leather cape and shook her mane of deep violet locks. Byakuya merely glared at the spectacle.

"I take it you traveled from Division Two's headquarters," Byakuya said stone-faced, not bothering with traditional greetings. His nobility could be more lax around her presence.

"No," Yoruichi panted softly, wiping her face, which looked laced with sweat, "I traveled from the Shihouin Mansion."

Byakuya's eyes widened slightly as he led her to the room he had previously been in. The Shihouin Mansion was far on the outer rim of the Sereitai, past Division Two's posts by miles. Despite her speed and agility, it would be an impressive feat to make in half a day's time.

The room was dimly lit during Byakuya's private hours, but for guests he turned the lights back to normal, giving it an almost unpleasant glower. Byakuya quickly stowed the parchment in his robes, out of Yoruichi's sight, as she unlaced the heavy cloak and let it fall with a slump onto one of the velvet couches. Byakuya sneered at the action, but his attention was suddenly upon his guest's face.

In the full light of the room, he would have almost thought she was a completely different person. Her hair was normal, a little tangled, but its usual beautiful shade of purple, long and pulled into a tight ponytail. Her face, however, was not its usual splendor. He eyes bore dark circles, and her skin looked sallow, almost a yellow tinge the emaciated cheeks. She looked as if she hadn't eaten in weeks.

"What," Byakuya stared, losing his sense of nobility in the instance of surprise, "_happened_ to you?"

"My my," Yoruichi's face bore an altered impression, but her bite was ever sharp rebutting his words, "how prying of you, Byakuya. Does my personal life interest you?"

His face flushed pale as he gave her a tense, ice cold stare. "Clearly enough that I'd let you take shelter in my home, Shihouin."

Yoruichi ran a fragile-appearing hand through her ponytail. Despite her nimble, playful attitude that did not seemed affected; she nevertheless looked rough, and tired.

"I could leave," Yoruichi started, her feral eyes glaring, but there was a hesitation in her voice that told the Captain that she had come here with purpose, "But I didn't travel all this way just to bicker with you, Byakuya." She let he shoulders slouch slightly, almost as if she dreaded the words she was about to speak. "I have a favor to ask of you."

"What would a Shihouin have to ask of a Kuchiki?" Byakuya was still agitated by her taunting, and decided to take it out on her, "Are you not such a more noble and capable family than my own?"

"Stop it," Yoruichi's tone became serious, "I don't want to argue with you on whose house is more noble than whose, or who carries their family name better," She paused, her face painted with a small smirk, "though we both know who'd win those battles—"

"Speak your request," Byakuya growled, his gray eyes boring holes in Yoruichi's head, as if he wanted her to explode, "or leave my house, Yoruichi!"

The violet-haired woman sighed, disappointed at his seriousness. "Fine. You don't have to get so worked up. I just need to ask you if you'd watch the gateway between the world of the living and our world tonight."

Byakuya raised an eyebrow incredulously, "You expect me to go out into this weather and watch the gates between the two worlds? Why?"

"I don't want to be seen going in and out," Yoruichi said bluntly, but her eyes narrowed. Byakuya glared at her; she wasn't telling him the entire story.

"Suppose I say no."

Yoruichi's eyes widened, this time reflecting two feelings the Captain had never thought he's seen reflected in those pupils: Fear, and vulnerability.

"Byakuya, you must. I need you to do this favor for me," and for the first time, she seemed to be asking him, more than telling him to do this. "Just for tonight, I need to get into the real world from here and back undetected. I trust you can watch the gate for me."

"Why don't you transform into a cat?" Byakuya sneered. He had always loathed the fact that she could at will turn herself into an animal-like state, a power he knew all Shihouin Family Clan Leaders possessed, but it only added in his opinion to their state of overall greatness. "You would be undetected then."

Yoruichi let out a frustrated huff, "As if I could," She motioned and for the first time, Byakuya noticed that she was carrying a small black satchel, the strap across her shoulder. He also noticed something else.

"You," He blinked, "You're no longer…"

"No," Yoruichi frowned, "I'm not."

"Since…?"

"Two weeks ago," She replied with a heavy breath and yellow eyes that were full of contempt, almost as if she wanted to kill the conversation.

Byakuya stared at her harder, understanding now why she looked the way she did. "Are you going to the Real World to—"

"Why I'm going is none of your business." Yoruichi's voice snapped with finality. She closed her eyes, and Byakuya was stunned to find her voice pleading, "Please, Byakuya. I traveled all this way because I trust you more than anyone else in this world to do this for me." She raised her face to meet his and her yellow eyes looked torn and tired, "You told me once that you owed me for my teachings. This is your chance to repay me."

The silence between them was an eternity. Byakuya felt something poke the inside of his chest, he glanced down and felt with his finger; it was a corner of the folded parchment. Byakuya stared at the page, and then his eyes drifted to Yoruichi, who was staring at the ground defeated.

"I will do this favor for you, Yoruichi Shihouin," he said solemnly. The cat woman raised her head in relief, "But from this moment, our families are on equal footing."

"Agreed," Yoruichi smiled a weak grin and turned from him, "Will you follow me then?"

"Yes," Byakuya said with a stoic frown, he felt the parchment in his robe's pocked and turned toward the mantle place. "Just allow me a moment."

"Of course," her cloak tucked away in her arms as she grabbed it from the velvet couch and walked into the hallway.

The Captain laid the piece of paper on it and stared into the dim glow of the fire that remained. _Why should I help the Were-cat? Is it worth it? _He opened the folded letter, looked at the picture of Hisana, his beautiful wife, and then at the words she had written, in delicate frail cursive. He sighed and placed the paper on the mantle, dousing the embers with a small pail of water he always left beside the fireplace. With a quick turn of his feet, his white captain's cape swinging behind him, he followed into the hallway to attend to Yoruichi Shihouin's request.

**So, I hope you liked this chapter! Next chapter is one I've wanted to write since I first came up with this tale…it's not about Karin, but you'll see why it's important for Karin.**

**Thanks for all the support in reading my story! I'm lucky to have all you readers!**

**Sincerely,**

**Romania Black**


	14. Urahara's Gift

Hello!

This chapter and the one prior are a little break from our current story, but rest assured Karin will be back next chapter! And she'll be having some fun with Toshiro! So please, enjoy this chapter, although Karin only makes an appearance in conversation! It's full of Urahara/Yoruichi goodness.

**NOTE: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MATURE CONTENT! **YOUNGER READERS MAY WANT TO SKIP THIS CHAPTER. JUST A WARNING! ^_^

Still rated T for Teen, but with SEXUAL THEMES…younger viewers read at own risk.

I do not own anything from Bleach, but Tite Kubo is awesome. Read the Manga! ^_^

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! ENJOY THE CHAPTER!

Sincerely,

Romania Black

**Chapter Fourteen**

**I give you a gift greater than myself,  
****I give you a gift you cannot give yourself,  
I**** give you a gift made by ourselves,  
****I give you a gift better than ourselves.**

"Do you need me to do anything else, Mr. Kisuke?" Ururu's voice was melancholic as she laid her head on the cotton pillow of her cot, her fine hair spread out like wisps of darkness against the white covers.

Kisuke smiled his eyes invisible against the shadows from his hat. "No, everyone's asleep now. Thank you, Ururu." Kisuke patted her head gently and went to shut the door.

"Goodnight, Mr. Kisuke," Ururu smiled feebly, pulling the covers to her face.

"Goodnight, Ururu." He slowly shut the door behind him and walked down the corridor back to the front of the shop.

The Shoten owner sighed to himself; they were all finally out and asleep. Tessai had a room to himself, where he'd retired to a short while before he put Ururu to bed. Jinta was in the same room as Ururu, but he'd fell asleep as soon as they'd made it back, an unusual surprise to Urahara. Apparently he'd had too much partying.

_Speaking of too much partying_, Kisuke chuckled to himself. Renji had showed up on his doorstep in the arms of Rukia and Toshiro. Not expecting anything like this, it was an amusing sight for Kisuke to say the least, though they didn't share his sentiments. He'd put Renji to sleep in the room with the Mod Souls who lived there with him. Toshiro agreed to sleep there as well, to keep an eye on the passed out Renji, and Rukia, apparently adamant about _not_ staying with Renji or Toshiro, had been given a bed inside the Shoten's broom closet. At first, Kisuke was reluctant to give her such sleeping quarters, but she insisted she was used to it. He couldn't imagine where she stayed at in the Kurosaki household, and the very act of thinking of such a place gave him a good chuckle.

The main room of the Shoten was quiet, white and blue moonlight shining on the items filling the shelves. Urahara quietly gave it one more look over, before opening the small wooden door on the ground, and grasping the ladder leading to the space below the shop.

He leapt to the ground and looked around; the vast desert like area was quiet, a small breeze almost seeming to blow. It was sunny, as if in the middle of noon in the real world. No matter how many times he looked at this artificial 'world' he'd created under the Shoten, it never ceased to impress him. He stretched and flash-stepped forward, over several boulders and rock faces, until he reached his destination.

A small hot spring was in the middle of this wasteland-appearing battleground. Kisuke usually came here after everyone was asleep to soak and gather his thoughts before going to bed.

As the steam rose from the pool of scalding water before him, Kisuke dropped the black robe he usually wore throughout the day into a tangled pile at his feet, stepping out of his wooden clogs simultaneously. He was about to take off his hat, when he stopped, his fingers lingering on the brim of his hat. He glanced around with mingled confusion and anxiety.

_Someone is here with me, _he suddenly felt the figure's presence. _Is that—?_

"Tsk, tsk," The figure was already inches behind Kisuke. The Shoten owner was frozen, his hand slowly lowering from the hat. He turned on his bare feet slowly to meet the intruder, as her sensuous voice filled the air around him. "And after all this time, Urahara, I thought you'd be able to sense me coming a mile away."

Yoruichi was in front of him now, her leathery brown cloak gathered around her figure, her yellow eyes meeting his.

"Kisuke," She gazed worriedly at his face, her eyebrows arching sadly, "Look at you…you look terrible."

Urahara shrugged off the comment, his gaze keenly focused on her own disheveled, ragged face, "You don't seem in the position to say such a th—" he was cut off as she threw the cloak to the ground. His eyes immediately ran to her stomach, which looked smooth and flat in her black jumper. "Yoruichi—you're not…"

"No," she sighed, slightly irritated that so many people were only now discovering this; "I haven't been for two weeks." She raised a hand to his face, and ran it along the scruff hair starting to form a beard. Her eyes formed a soft, saddened look as she took in his gaunt face and his pale skin. "Have you really been worried about me all this time?"

He raised a hand to touch hers that lay on his face. "I didn't know what was happening, and I couldn't ask of course, because—"

"Kisuke," She cut him off, and lowered his head to hers and softly kissed him, her lips pressed gently against his. He ran his hand along her arm and traced her neck as he savored her kiss with a longing he'd carried for almost three-fourths a year.

"I haven't seen you in so long," He whispered, his gray eyes looking fondly at hers. It'd been so long since he had the taste of her in his mouth, the fruity smell of her breath was a drug to him, and it had been his only addiction since he'd met her all those years ago…

She seemed to remember something at that moment, because her face lit up with remembrance. "Oh, Kisuke, the reason I came here…"

"To see me?" The shopkeeper asked timidly, but with a glint of childish hope in his voice. Yoruichi laughed; _This is why I love him…_ she thought tenderly as she reached behind one of the hot spring rocks. The shopkeeper's gaze followed her curiously.

"Of course, but moreover," She lifted a black satchel from the rock, eyeing it and then Urahara, who looked bewildered. "He hasn't moved since I left earlier…he's constantly tired, so I blame that." She looked down at the satchel once more, smiling affectionately, "It's not bad though, he sleeps a lot. Keeps quiet."

Kisuke's eyes widened as her words sank in. "Yoruichi…that's…."

"Yes," She reached into the satchel and pulled out a bundle wrapped in black cloth, the same that made a Soul Reaper's kimono. "I know it was risky taking him here from the Mansion," She walked towards Kisuke with fear in her eyes, mirroring his own, "But I had to. I wanted you to see him."

Holding out his arms in the most timid fashion she'd ever seen him display, she placed the bundle in them as he pulled his arms back towards him, cradling the mass of black fabric. He lifted a fold of the material to gaze inside the bundle and let out a small gasp of a sigh, his gray eyes sparkling in the artificial sunlight.

It was a baby. A small but rather large baby for its age, with dark honey skin, a round face, and thick locks of the darkest chocolate hair, one particular lock fell in between its eyebrows in a similar fashion to Urahara's. Almost as if upon command, the baby opened his eyes as Kisuke held him. His eyes were amber, almost burnt orange.

Apart from the small lock of hair in between his eyebrows, the baby favored Yoruichi in almost every way. Kisuke breathed almost silently as he gazed in wonder at the baby in his arms.

"Well?" Yoruichi smirked at her lover's gaping expression, "What do you think?"

"He's beautiful," Urahara breathed after what seemed like an eternity of silent gazing. Kisuke looked up, smiling broadly, "He looks just like you of course!"

Yoruichi rolled her eyes, "That's what Soi Fon said too, but I figured she was just being nice."

Kisuke gave her a suddenly cautious glance, "Soi Fon knows?"

The Shihouin narrowed her eyes, taking a more serious stance, "Yes. But only she knows as of now…" her voice trailed off and she looked away. "I…I was planning on informing others soon, but…"

"What?" Kisuke was gripping the child near him.

"Kisuke, I am still the Shihouin clan leader; of one of the last four Great Noble families. But now, our son will be expected to assume that leadership when he's of age…there's no other Shihouin that close in line for the title—"

"I know that," Urahara frowned with slight impatience, "We both knew that when—"

"—But the other Shihouin members cannot know he's _yours_," Yoruichi stated bluntly. Her eyes were intensely glowing against the sun's glare. She gave him a soft, saddened look, but it was laced with bitterness, "That's what I've been trying to say. If they knew you were the father, despite all that you've done for the Soul Society, it would still sully our noble family reputation in their eyes if they knew that you—"

Kisuke had her chin cupped with one of his hands, the other holding their child between them. "I knew that from the start, Yoruichi. I've always known…" He glanced down at the baby, who'd already closed his eyes and started to drift back to sleep. "But this, this is what I've always wanted…"

Yoruichi stared at the baby, her mouth forming a small, softened smile, "I know. We agreed if Aizen was stopped…we'd try…" She smiled deeper now, remember those days of relieving peace after the battle.

"And now," Kisuke gently rocked the baby in his arms, "I won't ruin this boy's chance at a good life in the Soul Society." He gave his lover a firm, determined stare. "Tell them whatever you have to, Yoruichi. Tell them he's someone else's, tell them their father died in battle; tell them whatever makes them happy. But we won't let them know he's the son of a low class Rukongai boy your grandmother adopted into her dojo those hundreds of years ago." He smiled his traditional Urahara grin, and Yoruichi saw the man she knew before his current look of ill health and worry.

Yoruichi took the boy from Kisuke's arms, and gently laid him on the ground, tucked up in the black satchel of fabric near the spring, the steam gently cascading around him. She looked back up at Kisuke, "Very well; If that's what you want, I'll do it, Kisuke," She gave him a smirk, "But only if it'll mean you'll look better from now on." She checked him over considerably, "You are truly looking shabby, you know."

Her lover grabbed her by the hips and pulled her in towards him slowly, "Yoruichi, you are my best friend, so I'll be honest—"

"Say anything about my appearance," She interrupted with a sly grin, "And I'll take you out here and now for insulting an until-recently-pregnant woman."

Kisuke was an inch from her face, "What I was going to say, was to be honest, I have been waiting for you to come and see me for quite some time."

"Oh?" Yoruichi gave him a confused smile, "Why is that?"

"Because a certain shopkeeper has been without his best friend and lover for almost a year, and quite frankly," Urahara grazed a hand to the back of her head, "he's none too ready for her to leave."

And with that, he opened his mouth and swallowed her in a kiss; a deep passionate kiss that only a man who'd been without the love of his life for so long would give. The two wrapped their arms around each other and in the tangle of embracing, Kisuke running his mouth up and down her dark skin as if inhaling her very being, and Yoruichi skimming her hands through his sand-colored hair, the two fell to the ground; the baby soundlessly asleep a yard from them.

A removed black jumper, white pants and shirt later, the two lovers were lying against a rock face, not too far from the baby who still was sound asleep, much to their surprise. Exhausted, Yoruichi was cradled in Kisuke's arms, his black cape draped over the two of them, though not quite big enough to completely cover their fully exposed bodies.

Yoruichi had her neck stretched out, as Kisuke ran his lips up it in a dozen soft kisses. She sighed, "So, I heard from Division Twelve that an Arrancar was in Karakura today."

"Well, yesterday," Kisuke sarcastically commented, as he lifted his lips from her skin, "and yes, but we didn't get much of a chance for interrogation. There were two of them, but they vanished almost as soon as they arrived."

"What do you think they were after?" Yoruichi looked puzzled; Kisuke looked deep in thought, as if he hadn't came up with an answer yet.

After a long pause, "They obviously were looking for us," Kisuke noted, his brow furrowing, "otherwise they wouldn't have made themselves known so quickly."

Yoruichi looked worried, "Why on earth would they _want_ to engage Soul Reapers out of their element?"

"I don't know," Kisuke sat up straighter, the black robe now almost fully on Yoruichi, "but it probably wouldn't be a bad idea tomorrow to let the Soul Society know that reinforcements will be needed here." He pointed to the black satchel containing their child.

His lover raised an eyebrow, "You think they'll return?" She handed him the baby carefully. Kisuke's eyes darkened as he rocked the boy gently in his arms, looking down at him with a grim stare.

"Yesterday was a warning of some kind," He glanced at Yoruichi, whose head was on his shoulder, staring at the child as well, "We need to be prepared for anything."

"Agreed," Yoruichi whispered, her face nuzzling against Kisuke's. She hummed softly as she kissed his cheek, and the shop owner could have sworn she was purring.

He smiled, despite the seriousness of his voice, "You should take the boy and go back to the Soul Society." He dropped the smile slightly; "It's not safe for him here anymore."

Yoruichi rose to her feet slowly and grabbed her black jumper, draping the black robe on Kisuke's shoulders and tossing him his white robes, as he continued to hold their child. "I knew I wouldn't be able to stay long," She hesitated, "I had Byakuya watch the gate for me."

To this, Urahara actually laughed out loud, rousing the baby only to a small sigh. He grinned, "I bet you got a good kick out of that."

"Whatever do you mean?" She said coyly, grabbing the leathery cloak from the dirt. Urahara merely shook his head slowly,

"Nothing…poor guy; you have him wrapped around your pretty little fingers don't you?" His gray-hazel eyes gleamed at her with a knowing look.

Yoruichi had her hand tucked gently under Kisuke's chin, "No, but it sounds like another guy I know," she coolly kissed him, as he transferred the baby into her arms.

Breaking from their kiss, Yoruichi gave her lover a confused look, "You never asked his name, Kisuke."

The shop owner smiled deeply, but it wasn't a pleasant smile.

"I don't want to know now. I know you'll have to raise him in the Soul Society, and he'll probably become a Soul Reaper…am I right?"

Yoruichi gave him a disbelieving sarcastic look, "The son of the two of _us_? What are the odds of that?"

"Don't joke, Yoruichi. In any case, I don't want to hear about him from anyone else in the Soul Society except you…so," He smiled at the bundle in her arms, "For right now…I'd rather not know his name." He scooted his bare feet in the sand a little.

Wrapping the satchel's strap around her arm, she turned from Kisuke, smiling to herself. _He never changes…does he? _"Fine." She smirked, "But don't think I named him after you."

Kisuke laughed out loud for the second occasion this evening, "I would hope you'd name him _something_ respectable." He matched her smirk, "But Yoruichi…"

"What?" Yoruichi was headed to the ladder, before turning to face him one last time. Kisuke straightened, now fully dressed, his hat plopping onto his head.

"Don't make me wait as long before seeing you next time."


	15. The Regular Spot

Hello!

Sorry this took so long, first of all. I'm moving back into my apartment for the semester of school…so lots of stuff going on. Moving in, getting settled…eating out with friends…the works. But I'm back with a new chapter! And it's mainly about Toshiro and Karin! Woo hoo!

I hope you all liked the last two chapters. I didn't get a lot of feedback on them, so I'm not sure how they went for you. If you want more of that kind of stuff let me know!

I have the next few chapters figured out, so writing them is going to be a lot of fun. Let's just say, Karin has some awesome stuff in store for her!

But anyway, on to the chapter!

I do not own anything from Bleach, but Tite Kubo is awesome. Read the Manga! ^_^

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! ENJOY THE CHAPTER!

Sincerely,

Romania Black

**Chapter Fifteen**

**The Best intentions yield the worst results**

Ichigo was gone from his room when Karin woke that morning, much to her dismay. _He must have left last night…_ she recalled Rukia mentioning something about him seeing someone else before he left. _…I wonder who he went to see? _She made her bed in silence and quietly walked downstairs_. _

To her surprise, Ichigo was sitting at the table, wearing a white and green striped polo and green pants, looking rather happy—_wait, _Karin stopped midway down the stairs, _That's not Ichigo, _she decided in her head in that instant, _It must be—_

"Karin!_" _Yuzu smiled wide, "_Guess what_?! Ichigo decided to stay until this afternoon!" She was flipping eggs in the skillet, her usual pink apron tied around her waist.

"No kidding?" Karin rubbed her eyes as she made it to the seat at the head of the table, eyeing Ichigo with slight suspicion. Her "brother" grinned back with a slightly threatening smile.

Karin was certain now that this was Kon, and not Ichigo. She'd always wondered why weird incidents happened every now and then that seemed out of her brother's character, but after discovering that Kon could inhabit her brother's body while he was a Soul Reaper, it all made sense.

"Yeah," Yuzu placed two eggs on Kon's plate, to which he replied with a half-hearted mix between a frown and a smile, as if he couldn't make up his mind which to do. Karin almost laughed; Kon wasn't a very good Ichigo, but obviously had Yuzu convinced. "Do you want one or two eggs, Karin?" Yuzu lifted her skillet.

Karin scratched her head, gazing out towards the window. It was perfectly sunny outside. She wondered if the residents of the Urahara Shoten were awake…

"Actually Yuzu," Karin slipped her feet into a pair of white tennis shoes, "I think I'm going to run down to Urahara's and see if Jinta and Ururu are up." She was already dressed, in her favorite black tank top with a white T-shirt underneath and red running shorts. "To see if they want to finish taking Ichigo's boxes to U—" she stopped herself, "--his apartment."

Yuzu eyed her suspiciously. "Okay," She said hesitantly, "You probably should have Ichigo go with you, though…right? How else will you get in?"

Kon's eyes lit up, seeing freedom on the horizon. _YES! Stupid brat, the last thing I want to do is spend the day with this devil child disguised as a teenage—_

"Ichigo gave me the key yesterday," Karin lied casually, to Kon's sudden mortification; he had no response thought up, "plus, I think it'd be better," her eyes shining in Kon's direction, not missing a beat, "If big brother spends the day with you anyway."

Kon's mouth gaped open, as Yuzu cheered, her head bouncing enthusiastically.

"_YAY_! Oh, Ichigo," She embraced her spatula as she looked at her terrified brother's doppelganger, "Now we can play all day! I'll have to show you Bostov! I just made her a new dress!" Bostov of course, was actually Kon's doll he inhabited, and Yuzu adored dressing it up like a woman, much to Kon's horror.

Yuzu continued babbling on things they would do, as Kon shot Karin a death glare, but Karin merely smiled innocently and walked out the door.

"See you, Yuzu! See you..._ Bro_." She shot him a quick smirk before shutting the door, and walking down the street; the only thing she could hear was Kon's desperate cry for help, and Yuzu's giggles.

Karin felt a little bad for Kon's predicament, but she also wanted Kon to know he wasn't just going to take advantage of her brother's body. He'd have to know his place, if Karin had anything to say about it.

The sun was brightly shining on Urahara's shop, the metal reflecting the sunlight in blinding rays. Karin shielded her eyes as she walked up the front steps. The door to the shop was already open for business, and any customer would have received quite a show walking into the Shoten, or rather the circus it'd become.

Rukia was chasing Jinta across the aisles of the shop; her hair filled with pieces of what looked like the broom Jinta was waving wildly in the air as he ran. Tessai was behind her, looking to be both trying to calm down Rukia, and wrestle the broom from Jinta. Ururu was trying to slide between the three, actually sweeping, while behind her Renji was throwing up into a black trash bag that apparently came from the utility belt Ururu was wearing, as she had a sack of them tied to the apparatus.

It was utter chaos, as Karin looked around for Toshiro, but he wasn't in sight. For that matter, neither was—

"Good morning, Miss Kurosaki!"

Karin spun around to see Kisuke walk towards her, his hand adjusting the green and white striped hat on his head. He gave her a crooked grin, and Karin noticed he looked a lot healthier than the day prior.

"Morning…you look well today, Mr. Urahara," Karin said, the words slipping from her mouth unexpectedly. _Geez, Karin, don't insult the guy…_

Urahara laughed though, "Thank you, Miss Kurosaki." He scanned the scene in front of them with an amusing smirk, "It seems you came at a most unusual time to the Shoten."

Tessai, who just noticed Kisuke standing behind him, stopped in his tracks and gave the shopkeeper a low bow, his left hand over his chest. Karin almost laughed; the formality of the gesture was ridiculous.

"Good morning, sir," Tessai said in a deep rumbling voice, stepping forward to avoid Rukia and Jinta, who were still chasing each other.

"Morning, Tessai," Urahara smiled, "I see it's another typical morning here."

"Forgive me sir," Tessai apologized, adjusting his glasses as he reached out a hand, "It would seem—" he grabbed the collar of Jinta's shirt as he ran behind him, and pulled him in front of Karin and Kisuke. Rukia stopped and panted behind Tessai, still pulling pieces of the broom-straw from her dark hair. "—That Mr. Hanakari has some apologizing to make."

"What?!" Jinta shot Tessai a furious stare, but to this Tessai merely bopped the boy on the head with his fist and Jinta fell to the ground. "Ow! Alright, alright!"

"What seems to be the problem, Jinta?" Urahara had his white fan flared out in front of his face.

Jinta pouted, "I was cleaning the shop and then the Soul Reaper comes in saying she needs trash bags for her boyfriend—"

"He's not my boyfriend!" Rukia interrupted, throwing a piece of broom at Jinta, who shrugged it off.

"—But I didn't have any, so I told her she'd have to ask Ururu—"

"No, you didn't!" Rukia glared at Jinta, "You told me to shut up and called me a—"

"But," Jinta's face was burning as he spoke over Rukia, "Ururu wasn't here, so she kept bothering me while her boyfriend's puking all over the—"

"Not. My. Boyfriend." Rukia reminded him, her cheeks glowing red.

"—So then I try to continue sweeping, but she grabs my broom and tries to yank it away until I go get some trash bags—"

"Liar! You hit me with the broom and said I was annoying—"

"—For her boyfriend—"

"HE IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND!" Rukia sprang in front of Tessai to grab Jinta, but the boy had already ran around Tessai and was rushing towards the back room, Rukia hot on his heels, screaming for him to stop. Tessai bowed again,

"As you can see, it's a pointless matter."

"I can see," Urahara said, bearing a curious expression, "Why is Jinta calling Mr. Abarai Ms. Kuchiki's boyfriend?"

"I have no idea," Tessai stated exasperated.

"Interesting," Kisuke smirked, then looked down at Karin. "I would assume you're wondering where Mr. Hitsugaya has gone?"

Karin gave Kisuke a startled look. She had been wondering that the entire time, but didn't think anyone had caught on. "Um, yeah…how'd you know?"

Kisuke smiled, "Oh, Mr. Hitsugaya told me you were planning on making a visit here. He said to tell you he was at the 'regular spot', but where that is, I'm not sure."

It didn't take Karin a second before she knew where he was talking about. "I understand, Mr. Urahara…okay." Suddenly she looked toward Ururu, "Um, Mr. Urahara, could you tell Ururu and Jinta that if they want they could get the rest of Ichigo's boxes today?"

Kisuke nodded, "Of course."

"Thanks," Karin turned on her heels and took off out the Shoten. "See you later, Mr. Urahara! Tessai!"

The 'regular spot' as Kisuke called it was Toshiro's favorite place to go, or at least it had been while he'd visited the Real World two years ago. Karin would visit him as he sat on the metal railing beside the paved road heading up the hill; the sun usually fading into the red and orange sky in front of them.

Today was different. The sky was bright and blue, the sun already rising high into the sky, its beams glaring the heat of a late summer morning. Karin found Toshiro standing not in his regular spot on the rail, but leaning against the rock face on the opposite side of the road, his white hair shaded by the wall rising at an angle above him. He looked slightly bummed at the situation.

"Toshiro," Karin called out, and the white haired captain tilted his head in her direction. "What's up?" She stopped beside him, her arm propping her against the rock wall.

"I had to leave that madness," The captain said sternly, his eyes closing in slight frustration. "I take it you saw."

Karin laughed, "Of course. I thought it was kinda funny though."

Toshiro mumbled something about 'un-professionalism' and 'adult', but Karin couldn't hear him. "You probably would," He finally sighed. Karin gave him a scowl,

"That's not true."

The white-haired captain appeared to want to say something to her, then hesitated and looked down at his cell phone, "Forget it."

Karin stared at him for a moment, wondering why he'd wanted her to meet him out here. The silence between them was starting to be unsettling. "Toshiro," She began, fumbling with her hands at her stomach.

"It's Captain Hitsugaya," Toshiro reminded her bluntly, not looking away from his phone.

"Well, _Captain Hitsugaya_," She repeated with a stubborn frown, the nervousness draining from her face, "why did you have me come out here?"

Her question snapped Toshiro's head from his phone, his teal eyes scanning her face unexpectedly, as if he'd thought she already knew the answer. "Urahara didn't tell you?"

"No," Karin replied slowly. "What was he supposed to tell me?"

The Captain gave a soft snort, his brows furrowing, "Figures Urahara would beat around the bush…I was going to see," He eyed her cautiously, "If you wanted to go on a mission with me."

Karin's eyes were wide in sudden awe. _Mission? With a Captain Soul Reaper? No way… _Karin tugged at the bottom of her shorts, "What kind of mission?" She said, trying to play cool.

"Hollow hunting," Toshiro replied, tapping his cell phone with his finger. "There's a couple on the other side of town. I figured you'd want to go take care of them with me."

Karin stared at him; this was quite an offering. _Not that I'd be much help with him there, _she muttered to herself snidely_, he could take care of them all himself…_ A thought suddenly jolted to her mind, "Just the two of us?"

Toshiro eyed her incredulously, "Vice Captain Renji's out of commission obviously, and Rukia will probably stay to keep an eye on him, so yes." His teal eyes were like stone, "If you don't want to come with me, you don't have to. I can handle it alone."

"No, no," Karin quickly stammered, her hands tucking behind her, "I want to come…I just," She couldn't find the right words, "I just was making sure."

"You're strange sometimes," Toshiro stretched and yawned, walking into the sunlight.

Karin huffed, slightly offended, "Says the white haired Captain that looks like he's ten." She shot back.

Toshiro gave her a quick irritated stare, his teal eyes flashing, and gave Karin a haughty sneer, "If you're coming, let's go. We don't have time to waste."

She gave him a look of confusion as she stopped in her tracks, "Um, are you going to fly?" She hadn't really thought of how he traveled. "I can't do that you know. Being a human and all."

The captain rolled his eyes, "Of course you can't. I was going to carry you."

To this statement Karin felt her cheeks flush a bright pink. Her neck felt warmer than usual, "Oh…um, are you sure you can do that? I'm…the same _size_ as you." The heat was rising to her face now.

Toshiro's eyes opened wider, and he gave her a quick smirk, obviously amused by her modesty. "It's fine. I'm a lot stronger than I look." His smirk grew sly, "Besides that, what's with you being modest, Kurosaki? That's not like you."

Now she was blushing, "I'm not being modest--!" She gave him an aggravated stare, "Let's just go. You said we didn't have time to waste."

Toshiro ran a hand through his white hair and sighed, then placed his hands on top of Karin's hips; to which Karin felt her face grow hotter as he rose with her into the air, heading South into the late morning sky.

**Well, that's the chapter! I hope you liked it!**

**Next chapter, Toshiro and Karin taking care of Hollows…what could be more fun?**


	16. An Unexpected Guest

Hello!

Sorry for the wait, school is Hell this semester. I want to post a chapter weekly. With school starting, I realize that'll be hard, but I hope to accomplish it.

I'm hoping to start developing some romantic stuff with Toshiro and Miss Karin, but also keep it true to what I think Tite Kubo would want of his Bleach world…so please wish me luck.

I'd love to hear about what you guys think of the story so far! Feel free to leave a comment, suggestion, or criticism…anything! You all inspire me so much! I'm very grateful, and too lucky to have readers like you. ^_^

I do not own anything from Bleach, but Tite Kubo is sure knows his stuff!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! ENJOY THE CHAPTER!

Sincerely,

Romania Black

**Chapter Sixteen**

**If you want to grow, be around those opposite yourself.**

Karin was glad of two things as they floated through the air. The first was that she hadn't eaten breakfast. Toshiro was holding Karin at arm's length, and they looked as if they were standing in midair, only on their sides. It reminded Karin of two superheroes flying toward the enemy holding hands. Not only did the event make her nauseous, but also she was happy Kon wasn't there to see her gripping Toshiro's hands for dear life. She was pretty sure he wouldn't let her live it down.

But then again, she wasn't sure if she'd still be alive to live anything down. They were up hundreds of feet in the air, yet Toshiro didn't look fazed by any of it. She stared in awe, _how does he do it?_

"Are you okay?" Toshiro glanced down at her, brow furrowed, his teal eyes focused on her face.

She gave him an irritated glare, "I've never flown before, what do _you_ think?" She seemed annoyed, but deep down she was smugly satisfied at his concern. It was almost humorous to see this strange side of the usually cool and stone-like captain.

"I was just asking," Toshiro glared, equally irritated.

"It's okay," Karin replied half-heartedly, as she pulled a lock of black hair from her mouth. She was surprised there weren't bugs flying into there as well. "How far are we from the hollow?"

"Not far," The captain stared ahead, "I think we should touch down before we're close though. With me holding you, we'd be vulnerable up here."

"I agree," Karin was in no hurry to keep flying, and a few minutes later they landed on the soft terrain of the field.

Karin looked around, her mind wrapped in nostalgia. They were on the same green soccer field she had once been with Toshiro fighting hollows.

"Okay," Karin threw Toshiro a skeptical smirk; "Did you plan this or something?"

The captain returned her smirk with an icy stare, "Why would I?"

Karin felt slightly crushed by the blow of his words. _So this wasn't on purpose…_ "Oh, never mind…it's just…this is the field where we played soccer that one time." She smiled weakly; hoping it'd jog his memory. "Remember?"

Toshiro considered her words with slight confusion, and then looked around. "Oh. So it is," he said bluntly. Karin's weak smile vanished, replaced with an enflamed expression.

"Selective memory?" She blurted angrily.

"What?" Toshiro hadn't heard her.

"Forget it," She snapped, turning from him. She was half-mad that he'd forgotten the place where he had saved her before, and half-mad he didn't care to try and reminisce. "Where's that hollow?"

"Over this hill," Toshiro motioned to the edge of the soccer field, which was in the valley of a set of small hills. "We should probably try to sneak up on it; even though that will be hard with our high spiritual pressures."

He signaled her to creep up slowly along side him, slightly behind though, which drew Karin bonkers. _Captain or not, I'm not some stupid damsel in distress he can just keep behind him the whole t—_

A piercing screech echoed across the hillside, causing Karin to jump back in fright. Toshiro grabbed her wrist to keep her from making too much movement, and fell stealthily to the ground, Karin following suit.

At first, Karin thought the black mass above them was a large tree shadowed by the sun, but upon second glance, she realized the jet figure was moving, slimy dark skin rolling as it oozed along the field. Karin's eyes traced up its vertical torso to the white ivory mask swallowing its face, ruby eyes staring soullessly.

"That's a hollow?" Karin stared, dumbstruck. The one she'd seen before looked so radically different.

"A Menos," Toshiro corrected, his eyes were devoid of any gleam, cold and isolating. His body was crouched forward, like a tiger seeing its prey through the thin dying thistles. The appearance of him in such a stance sent a chill up Karin's spine. "I didn't expect it to be this big," He spoke as if thinking aloud.

"What's a Menos?" Karin squinted her eyes in the early afternoon sun, "Is it stronger than a hollow?" All these new terms, Arrancar, Menos; they were making her head spin.

The Soul Reaper Captain suddenly glanced her way anxiously. "Karin," it was one of the few times he'd actually called her by her first name. She tensed at the word. "I underestimated the situation—"

"Don't you dare say stay here," Karin growled, navy eyes carrying a dull glare.

"I don't have much choice," The captain frowned deeper; "This Menos is much stronger than any hollow you've ever faced. Even being Ichigo Kurosaki's sister wouldn't help you much here." He gave her a ghost of a grin, "Leave this to me."

Karin didn't immediately object, mainly because she was too baffled to rebuttal quick enough; Toshiro was already running rampantly down the hill, his movements so swift and lightning-like, but his body silent. She was sure his feet weren't even touching the soft blades of grass as he moved.

Sighing impatiently, Karin moved towards the tree line at the edge of the field. From what she could tell, the young captain was making short work of the Menos, slicing it in half freely, its black slimy body splitting with dark crimson fluid escaping onto the field. _I wonder if anyone will notice during practice tomorrow. _She smirked darkly, gripping the tree bark with her tensed fingers.

The Menos toppled easily to the ground, evaporating as it hit, a rush of black ash disintegrating into the air. Toshiro rushed back towards Karin almost effortlessly, his hand wiping his brow, white hair still static. He looked surprisingly and openly satisfied with the ease of his battle.

"I thought I was a little rusty, not battling something like that in a while," He huffed softly, but there was a hint of pride under his voice.

"Quit bragging," Karin sneered, "You underestimate yourself." But she was sure that what Toshiro was said was something he did not disclose with just anyone. _So why me? _She thought impatiently.

Toshiro let his shoulders droop slightly, his face scrunched in a disapproving look. "I don't underestimate myself," He replied defensively, hands crossing at his chest. Karin smiled despite herself, he was returned to his normal proud self. "And I wasn't bragging."

Before Karin could comment further, a voice echoed through the branches of the trees above the two, its voice sinister and sickeningly pleasant at the same time. It was a voice Karin remembered very well.

"Good," The Arrancar Konso Priatt's voice slithered through the trees into the ears of the captain and Karin, "You shouldn't be bragging on yourself, Soul Reaper."

"What?" Toshiro looked up angrily into the trees. He could detect a spiritual pressure, but it seemed to be all over the place. "The Arrancar, I take it?"

"Who else?" Karin could see the Arrancar grin in her mind as he spoke.

"Show yourself!" Toshiro called out, his sword now in his hand, gripped tightly, "As Captain of the Tenth Division, I, Captain Hitsugaya demand you show yourself!"

Karin snorted softly, her eyebrow rising skeptically, "Is that how you introduce yourself to all your enemies?"

"Wha—shut up," Toshiro glared, a child-like glow surrounding his face, almost like a pout. "No, it is not—"

"You want me to show myself?" The voice bellowed back, this time more sinister than before. "But of course, Captain Hitsugaya of the Tenth Division." He mocked coldly.

Karin was about to smirk and tease Toshiro about having his introduction backfire, when she felt a sharp pain hit her side. _Wha—what was that? _She followed the source of the pain down her arm to glance towards her stomach. When her eyes reached past her elbow to her side, her mind went blank.

The Arrancar had touched down directly behind Karin and had thrust its hand toward her chest. Toshiro, seeing the attack a split second before it occurred, grabbed Karin by the arm and pulled her to the right, so that Konso's hand missed her chest, but instead grazed the side of her torso.

Toshiro, arm wrapped around the side of Karin that was untouched by the Arrancar, aqua irises brimming with fury and terror as he stared down the Arrancar, who held his white fingers toward his face, glancing not at the captain, but at the dark red liquid running in thin lines down his knuckles.

"Well," Konso licked the blood off his hand, smugly eyeing Toshiro, "Seems I haven't lost my touch for making an entrance."

_**Sorry this chapter took so long! **_

_**Hope you enjoyed it! I'd rather keep the next chapter a secret, **_

_**But let's say the next couple of chapters will set some things in motion.**_

_**Thank you so much for reading this story. I truly am grateful for everyone that reads and comments on the story. I can't wait to hear from you!**_

_**Cheers,**_

_**Romania Black**_


	17. Is this it?

Hello!

Ahhh, this weekly chapter thing is rough. Sorry for the wait, but this chapter and the next one are pretty crucial, so I figured they'd need a little work to make sure they were perfect.

Special thanks to DD, my reviewer of the last chapter who said "awesome work"…no, DD, you are awesome, for the great support! ^_^

I do not own anything from Bleach, but Tite Kubo is sure knows his stuff!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! ENJOY THE CHAPTER!

Sincerely,

Romania Black

**Chapter Seventeen**

**Do unto others as you would do unto yourself**

Karin couldn't hear anything except the wild pounding of a heartbeat against her ears. She painfully moved her eye toward the thumping; it was the beating ticks of a heart belonging to Toshiro. She stared at the black kimono rubbing her cheek. _Strange, _she thought almost casually, _I didn't think their hearts were still able to beat—_

"Don't move," Toshiro's voice was awkward, almost straining.

Karin thought this was strange. "What do you mean?" She braced a palm against his abdomen to push herself away from him, to see his face, then she gasped, the slice of pain hit her side and she realized what he meant.

The Arrancar had missed her heart with his razor hand, but had grazed the edge of her torso. A thick smell of metal, copper almost, flooded her nostrils; as if a dam had just been broken in her subconscious. The acknowledgement that she was bleeding was abruptly as real and clear in her mind as the warm liquid soaking her hand and clothes.

Amidst her gasping with semi-shock, the Arrancar smirked devilishly, his fingers now clean but with a trace of pink under the nails. "You should just leave her captain," he cooed, "Save yourself and leave her with me."

"You should just shut the Hell up," Toshiro shot back, his bravado apparently lost. "And save yourself before I slice you in half right here." His sword was gripped so tightly in his fist; Karin could see the blue veins pop under his milky skin.

"Ho, oh," The Arrancar gave a false gasp, his voice dropping an octave, "Was that a threat, Mr. Captain Hitsugaya of the tenth Division?"

"Are you deaf?"

The voice from the top of the trees made Karin forget her pain for a split second, her attention drawn to the figure cascading through the green leaves and touching down in front of her. She knew the person's frame, delicate and withdrawn, hair neatly tied up so.

"Hinamori," Toshiro's tone was not one of relief or even surprise, but of anger.

"You," Konso the Arrancar's face dropped from its playful charm to one of unhappy demeanor. "You're the one from the other day."

"Well," 5th Division Lieutenant Momo Hinamori gave a quick sigh, "Here I thought you were deaf and dumb," She smiled, a look that to Karin, didn't suit the Lieutenant. She had her hand grasping the hilt of her sword, her fragile fingers looking ready to fight.

"Hinamori," Toshiro repeated, the anger rising in his throat, "What are you doing here?" It was more of a demand than a question.

"Helping you," She replied curtly, her eyes looking hurt. "But I guess I should've figured you'd rather work alone."

The Captain didn't immediately reply, the Arrancar more than capable of filling the silent void. "How touching," He smirked darkly, "It seems we're all here to assist one another, aren't we?"

Toshiro raised his head, his eyes widening. The Arrancar was opening its mouth wider, wider than usually to speak.

"CERO!"

The two Soul Reapers and Karin flew backwards, lacing through the trees and dodging the brilliant glow that ripped through the bark and leaves like a neon torch. Karin felt the blast's heat saturate her wound, almost cauterizing it but still making it burn fiercer. She screamed in pain, as Toshiro knelt still carrying her, his arms cautiously around her shoulders.

Momo was now beside them, her face flushed, "Thanks for the save," she paused, "Though you look like you have your hands full." Her eyes connected with Karin, and she somehow felt the pain in her side subside momentarily. It was like looking at a doctor and knowing they were going to save you from death.

"Hinamori," Toshiro gave his partner a strong, firm glance, "Take Karin and get away from here," Momo's face was immediately flustered, but Toshiro didn't offer her a chance for rebuttal, "Karin's hurt and needs attention now or she'll bleed to death. You know kido better than I do," He stopped and gave her the most sincere look Karin had seen him ever give. It was as if his face was transformed and she didn't know him at all. "Please, Momo."

The Lieutenant was silent momentarily, then her face waned, and she sighed softly. "Just don't let the Arrancar out of your sight," She warned him, but there was no anger behind her voice.

Karin was lifted gently into Momo's arms, and instantly, Karin felt hot. She realized that it wasn't that Momo was a warmer person, but that Toshiro had been so cold. It startled her how big the difference was.

Toshiro must have seen the surprise in her eyes, "What is it?" He asked, in a similar fashion as a father would a child, which made Karin a tad bit irritated, even in her circumstance.

"Nothing," She shot back quickly, "I just hadn't realized how icy you really are."

The words seemed to crush Toshiro, his face falling. This of course had not been her intentions, but she wouldn't apologize to Mr. fatherly figure now. Momo glanced nervously at the two.

"Let's go," She said hastily, propping Karin in her arms. "Don't worry Toshiro; I'll make her good as new!" The cheerfulness of her voice comforted Karin, but she could see in the Captain's teal eyes he still was doubtful. She wanted to say _thank you, _or_ don't worry, _but before she could utter another word a compulsory wave of needles shot through her like salt poured into the wound that was her body. Momo wasted no more time and took off, leaving Toshiro behind to face Konso, wherever he was still lurking.

The two glided in the air, rather gracefully to Karin's surprise. The pain wasn't graceful however, in fact it was rapidly growing, spreading to her abdomen. She was also feeling slightly dizzy, but for all she knew it could have merely been because they were moving so steadfast.

Momo flew higher now, to gain a better gaze of the area. "We need to find somewhere to heal your wounds…somewhere out of sight." She was almost talking to herself. "How do you feel?"

"No good," Karin mumbled, her eyebrows furrowing. She hadn't felt this bad in a long time, if ever; she even wondered if there was a time she'd felt this much pain. A long time ago, she realized, back when Ichigo first became a Soul Reaper…when they were outside her house one cold spring night.

"Let's go down there," Momo pointed to the end of what from above looked like a dead end street, on the edge of a hill. There appeared to be one house on the lane, but it was under construction, as if someone was tearing it down and had stopped half-way.

Hinamori began to descend toward the ground, when a vibration rippled through the air. To Karin, it sounded like Velcro scrubbing against itself. It was a sound that was so familiar to her ears, as if recently heard. _Wait…_

Momo stopped in her tracks, her eyes flitting from side to side, brown hair tangled in her mouth; she spat a lock out quietly and rotated in place in midair.

Karin winced, "Did you feel that?"

"Shh," Momo pressed her lips together, "Quiet—"

The silver blade of the sword missed Karin's face and body by inches. Karin was frozen, her body tucked into itself, the swelling of her side giving way to a new sensation of utter terror. Her head in the crook of Momo's elbow, she had no choice but to watch in silent horror as a long curved blade gutted the Lieutenant, crimson fluid now mixing with Karin's and soaking them both.

"Wha—"was all Momo could fumble her eyes wide. Her body was not unaccustomed with such an act of impalement; she had this done to her before, by another, a much more sinister, she was sure, being than whatever this was. But the simple déjà vu of it all sent her reeling in her place, her mind tripping in its own chaotic tracks. She nearly dropped Karin; she was so disoriented, but maintained her grip despite everything happening.

The attacker had disappeared from view, but Karin could feel its presence above them, coming down swiftly. "Move!" She finally found her voice, and it was booming, "Quick! It's on its way back!"

She wasn't sure what Hinamori would do next, so it surprised her when Momo dodged the attacks coming from what seemed like thin air, the curved silver blade thrashing at the two from what seemed like an invisible predator. Karin was amazed that Hinamori could dodge it all, especially with the bloody gash oozing before her.

"Burst Tobiume!" The Lieutenant screamed, and flames exploded from the sword's tip. The explosion temporarily stopped the attacker, and Momo landed, very clumsily, onto the ground, Karin rolling out of her arms and across the grass.

She stopped her rolling body with her fingers, the soil sliding smooth and loamy against her palms. The grass was long, as if it hadn't been mowed in a few months, and the house under construction looked abandoned. The only thing Karin could see other than green was the blue sky, the yellow Dead End street sign, and the red streaks on the green blades of grass surrounding them.

She wasn't sure how, but Karin managed to lift herself to her knees and start to crawl. Of course, each step was straining her side, which was starting to numb; a sensation Karin wasn't sure was good or bad. She crawled like an infant, looking for Momo, looking for someone who would know what to do next. The other half of her mind was occupied with Toshiro. _Was he dead? Was he alive? Did he beat the Arrancar or was that him above? _She was still leery of the Arrancar, but decided that if he wasn't distracted by Momo's attack or Toshiro, he would have already made his move.

Momo was up against a pile of two by four beams, breathing heavily, Tobiume resting shakily in her left hand. She was pale; Karin noticed that the blood was now covering her entire front. Hinamori raised her eyes; they rolled back into her head for a second, and then hazily focused on Karin. "Are you okay?" She asked tenderly.

Karin had to admit, she looked in better shape than her. "Yeah…it's starting to numb actually." She didn't know what to say. They both looked disastrous as far as she was concerned.

"That's not good," Momo's voice was worried.

"You have to heal yourself then," Karin hastily looked around, _where the hell was the monster? Was it listening? _"Heal yourself and then me! Hurry!"

But Hinamori wasn't listening to Karin anymore. Her thoughts were elsewhere, at first to Toshiro and her playing in the streets of their old home; Toshiro's grandmother laughing coyly, her wrinkled face jiggling with happiness. The watermelon sitting on their laps, soaking their robes, and the sunlight dancing in Toshiro's eyes; before he was colder…before he was a Captain.

Then, Aizen, who had betrayed her, whom she had loved in the oddest of senses. She had given so much to see him again, to smell his chest, the scent of his robes that smelled of a fresh thunderstorm; only to find holding death's business card with her name scribbled on the back. She had escaped death then… then to the betrayal of the Council of 46, whose newly reappointed voices were as harsh as the council before them.

"_Lady Momo Hinamori," The old woman's voice was a bell, her gray hair visible over the wood panel blocking her face, "It has been decided by the council that you will not become Captain of the Fifth Division."_

"_Please," She pleaded, her voice suddenly hoarse, "If it is because I do not have a Bankai…I'm almost ready!" the pleading in her voice became more apparent, "Kira doesn't have one either, but he still retained his position as Captain of Division—"_

"_Enough!" A man's voice roared deep like a lion's, "The council is not dismissing your request per your ability to summon Bankai."_

_Hinamori was stunned, "What?"_

"_Our decision is based because of your prior engagements with Captain Aizen Sosuke, the traitor." _

"_But," She didn't understand. "Aizen is dead. And I never once betrayed the Soul Society!" She felt tears moistening her eyes, "You don't understand!"_

"_No," The man's voice was soft and sharp, "It is you who does not understand Momo Hinamori. We know of your loyalty to the Soul Society. However, it is because of your ease in being manipulated by this traitor that we cannot risk your seduction a second time. That is the base of our decision."_

_She couldn't believe this, it was outrageous. "But that's absolutely—"_

"_Silence!" A younger woman's voice shrilled. "The decision of the council remains unblemished and firm. You will remain Lieutenant of the Fifth Division, Momo Hinamori…"_

Their voices faded, but now she realized the meaning behind their words. Momo cursed under her breath, she was weak. She'd never be a Captain because she was too vulnerable. Now the pain was numbing for her, but faster; she could feel her heartbeat accelerate.

She looked down at her hand. Tobiume was impatiently wailing in her ear, like a child crying, _Is this it? Is this it? _The sword pleaded, and suddenly its words sank in for her.

Momo smiled sincerely at her sword, _yes… We're going to die._

_I can't believe it…_thesword breathed in Momo's ears_, Aren't you afraid, Momo?_

For the first time, Momo considered the question. _Well…are you? _

There was silence. Hinamori was sure she heard birds in the trees beside them.

_Not for us…_Tobiume finally replied, a little doubtful_, but what about the girl?_

At that moment, Momo realized Karin was right in front of her, her hands on Hinamori's shoulders. "Hinamori," Karin gasped, "What's going on? You have to hurry!" Momo stared at the girl's hands; they were covered in drying blood. "We're going—we're going to die, Miss Hinamori!" Karin couldn't believe she was saying this, but here they were, wounded, possibly fatal, and like flightless doves; the perfect prey.

Hinamori gripped Tobiume tightly, and slowly raised it off the ground by a few inches. "Karin…I'm going to die." She said the words firm, as if she'd always meant to say them.

"Shut up," Karin felt so helpless, her whole body going numb.

"I can't heal you now, even if I tried," Momo was sliding herself up, straightening her back and hearing the pops her vertebrae made, a wave of nauseous blood hitting her nostrils. Her hands were shaking violently, and she could barely concentrate on what she was trying to say, her mind racing blank. But she did not waver, "If we do nothing, we _are_ both going to die." Tobiume was shaking in her fist, pulsating, as if in anticipation of what she was about to say.

"Don't say that," Karin knew the words were stupid and cliché, but they escaped her lips regardless, "What can we do?" She stared at Tobiume incredulously, "I can't wield your sword if that's what you're thinking!" She spat angrily.

"Of course not," Momo smiled, the first true smile escaping her lips in a while. _This girl was so naïve…Like I'd let her use me! What a stupid question…even for a dying person. _Tobiume grumbled weakly.

"Then how are we going to save each other?" Karin breathed, on the edge of her knees and leaning in closely to Hinamori, to hear her answer.

"Well," The Soul Reaper gasped in pain, and then smiled a sincere, child like grin, "Do you know how your brother became a Soul Reaper?"

**AH, I hate to end with another cliff hanger…but I had to! I hope this chapter wasn't too long, but I wanted to fit this all in one. I hope you liked it, and if you did, let me know!!!**

**The next chapter should come out sooner than you think!  
Keep on rocking,**

**Romania Black**


	18. Deja Vu, Relatively

Hello!

School is kicking my kisser. Literally…I have no time.

I hate this, because I want to update as often as possible.

Ah….why do we go to school?

Special thanks to those that reviewed the last chapter! The support was amazing! Thank you and I hope to hear from you again, if you're not too peeved at me.

I do not own anything from Bleach, but Tite Kubo is sure knows his stuff!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! ENJOY THE CHAPTER!

Sincerely,

Romania Black

**Chapter Eighteen**

_**Fight or Flight**_

_**Neither is wrong**_

_**Neither are Right**_

Her words seemed to be said in slow motion, the syllables tumbling over one another.

"What did you say?" Karin was sure she didn't hear right. Maybe it was the reeking smell of blood and the pain mingled with numbness spreading up her arms, but she was sure she'd misunderstood.

Hinamori's voice was breaking, though she was trying to seem unshaken. "I—I know a way to help you…so you can help me."

"Forget that!" Karin immediately spat. "You have to heal yourself! How are you going to—"

"That's not what's important right now," Momo's voice was so cold it almost froze Karin's veins. She glared icily at Karin. "Just do what I'm going to tell you if you want to live, you silly child." It was the first scorning she'd done to Karin.

Biting her lower lip, an unsure glance crossing her eyes, Karin heavily nodded her head. "Okay." She said hesitantly. "What are you going to do?" _I guess now's the worst time for panic, huh?_

Momo let her face slacken, "I'm going to do what Rukia did to Ichigo…I'm going to make you a Soul Reaper."

Karin gave her the most incredulous stare that Momo could recall anyone ever giving her.

"What?" Momo tried to lift her body up, but she found her upper arm strength was diminishing. _Damn, _she cursed, unusual but considering her condition, _we have to do this quick—_

"You're joking, right?" Karin could think of a million reasons why this wouldn't work; her brother's face jutting in front of her face first and foremost. "There's no way that'll work!"

Tobiume was flustering against Momo's tense and shaking fingers. There was no time for deliberation in her mind. "We don't have time for that attitude, Miss Kurosaki. We have to do this now, or you'll die."

"What about you?" Karin wasn't in the mood to be pitied, even if the feeling of knives in her side was growing stronger. "Don't tell me you're going to go all martyr like and crap." She narrowed her navy eyes and glared hard at Momo. "Because I'm not buying it."

"Martyr?" Momo almost laughed, had her jaw not seemed to be shut so tight. "Who do you think you're talking to," She said, softer than normal, the reality of her words hitting her heart, which despite its soul-like state, was flickering and tittering. It felt like a scale, that was about to tip and spill its contents.

"I have a fair idea," Karin rebutted, her cold stare not letting up.

There was a burst of spiritual pressure beside them, like a puff of air. It was this puff that brought Momo out of her distraction and back to the task at hand. They wouldn't have much longer to live at this rate; the enemy was starting to circle them, like lions cornering two maimed antelope.

"There's no time for deliberating!" Momo gripped the sword and started to raise it. "You have to do this."

Karin looked down the end of the silver blade. It was shaking violently in Momo's hands, as if it almost didn't want to continue with the process. "I wasn't exactly conscious during my brother's transformation into a Soul Reaper," Her eyes gleaming down the blade, "What's going to happen now?"

Hinamori didn't want to waste time explaining. Her voice was hasty, "It's simple. I'll strike you through the heart with this zanpaktou, and transfer some of my power to you. It will make you a Soul Reaper, heal your wounds, and allow you to get us out of here." She was almost panting by the end of her speech.

Karin didn't like this answer at all, her eyebrows furrowing in a concerned expression. "Transfer power? You don't have much left to do that. Won't that waste time?"

"You're wasting time," Hinamori was about fed up with this lengthy discussion. "Idiot, we're about to die, and you're questioning the only way to save you? I _can't_," She emphasized, "save you as I am now. I don't have the time or the strength. You'll die if you stay in this condition."

"There's also a chance I'll die if you try this number," Karin countered. She'd heard Rukia tell Ichigo of the risks before.

"Now's not the time for that!" Another burst of spiritual pressure let Hinamori know the enemy was close, _really_ close now. They were about to come in for the kill. "Do this, and you'll save both of us." She knew this was only half true, but it was what had to be said to get her to go through with it.

Karin gave the blade one last look over. _Wait, Karin, _her mind raced as her fingers gingerly touched the cool metal, _this is you d-y-i-n-g. You'll be a Soul Reaper…but what about your humanity? _Her mind countered,_ but then…you'll still be human, won't you? _Karin looked down her front. It looked like someone had spilled crimson tar on her; it was caked in drying blood. _Okay…Ichigo had to do it…I guess I have to now too…If I'm going to save Hinamori._ Her mind flashed an image of Toshiro; she realized she didn't even know if he was alive or not.

"Well?" Momo gasped, her face looked gaunt and paler than ever, sweat beading on her forehead and flushed cheeks.

"Let's do this," Karin gripped the sword, the blade slicing her palm, bright red blood running down her wrists like cherry syrup. For some reason, the pain wasn't registering.

There was another surge of spiritual pressure. And then another, they were starting to create a rising concerto of pounding energy that ripped across their ears.

"I promise you," Momo said firmly, "If this is the last time I see you…you'll be alright."

Karin didn't know what to make of her statement, but before she could answer, Momo took the sword with both hands, and with all her might, thrust the sword into Karin's chest.

Spiritual pressure climaxing, the source of the energy leapt from the shadows, lunging towards the Lieutenant and Karin with hungry lust and intent to kill.

Karin's mind went a white hot blank, her eyes saw red, and her mind saw black.

**Don't worry…the next chapter is coming sooner than you think! ^_^**

**I'm sorry this took so long. Please don't hate me, I love all of you.**

**Many thanks for the support, and keep on showing the love.**

**Cheers,**

**Romania Black**


	19. New Sensation Stained

Hello!

So, that line about how the next chapter would be out sooner than ever? Bull S*** I'm sorry.

School is stupid sometimes…by stupid I mean it gives me too much homework.

Homework should become In-class-work…so I'd have a life to write outside of it.

If you're not too made with me, I hope you enjoy this next installment.

Special thanks to those that reviewed the last chapter! It was great seeing the reviews and compliments! Thank you and I hope to hear from you again, if you're not too peeved at me.

I do not own anything from Bleach, but Tite Kubo is sure knows his stuff!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! ENJOY THE CHAPTER!

Sincerely,

Romania Black

**Chapter Nineteen**

_**I touch the flame**_

_**Not because I haven't been burned**_

_**But because I'm curious**_

_**If it will happen twice**_

Karin's mind went a white hot blank, her eyes saw red, and her mind saw black. It was the weirdest sensation, her body felt weightless, almost feathery. But she could taste the cold sweat wriggling down her cheeks, the flush of her face visible even to the corners of her navy eyes. When she opened them, she immediately jumped backwards, avoiding the assault of the predator, which had lunged at her standing, ignoring Hinamori, whom Karin couldn't even see in the fog surrounding them now.

Her legs tense, she crouched in a battle ready pose, one that seemed both natural and foreign to her; as if she'd known how to all along, just didn't know where to begin such a position. Everything was mist, but she almost felt as if her limbs were transparent too.

_Am I a ghost, _she wondered_, or is this how all Soul Reapers feel? _Her fingers could trace the energy in the air, like fingering invisible threads that connected the air molecules together. It was the weirdest motion she'd ever felt. Everything seemed to have presence, purpose. Nothing was without connection. Karin guessed that vampires and werewolves felt similar sensations when first transforming, but she could only speculate the truth in such a statement.

It was by now the predator Arrancar had lowered to the ground; level with Karin, its eyes now level with her own, in plain sight.

The Arrancar was not Konso, but a female; one that Karin did not recognize.

The woman Arrancar was tall, with thick muscular thighs and tanned skin. Her hair was strawberry blonde, but cropped jagged at the length of her pointed chin. Her turquoise eyes were bright and terrifying against the tanned skin and bright hair. At her forehead was what seemed like the curvature of bone, the top of a dome-like mask acting almost as a visor for the Arrancar. In Karin's mind, this hollow might as well have been at the beach; she was dressed only in a white bikini-style top and a spiky armor-appearing skirt. Her white boots were thin and had cut-outs on either side. The silver gleam of the curved blade was dulled by the rust-colored blood drying on the blade.

The hollow sneered at Karin, "Well, well, and here I thought there were only two Soul Reapers here," Her voice was gruff, but oddly opaque and airy.

Karin wasn't sure whether to reply or try to figure out if she had a weapon to battle with or not. If she was in fact a Soul Reaper, she should have one. But at the moment that didn't look to be occurring for her.

"I can't sense your friend," The Arrancar snickered, "So she must be dead."

The words hit Karin so hard that she realized she had nearly forgotten about Hinamori. She tried in that instance to sense Momo, and she was surprised that she in fact could, though faint, sense her comrade. She realized in that moment, she would need to distract the Arrancar in order to make it to her.

"What's the matter?" The Arrancar seemed amused by the silence that hung between them. "Why so silent? Don't tell me you're a mute," sharp white teeth glistened in the hollow's mouth, "That would be no fun. I like to hear my prey scream before I kill them."

Karin was already growing tired of this Arrancar's charade. "Listen," She tried to counter, stuttering, "Uh—um, I'm going to assume," _Think on your toes, idiot! She seems boastful…play up on that! Momo needs you! _"That you like to play games with your enemies, right?" Karin felt a little confident with the question.

The Arrancar frowned, confused, "Why?"

Karin stammered, sweat pouring down her temples, "It's just that…I'd love to play Arrancar-Soul Reaper with you, but I don't have—" Her eyes drew immediately to her hands, "—A weapon to fight you with!" She burst out, the Arrancar's blue eyes widening. "So," Karin figured continuing was the only way out of this mess, "If I'm going to fight you I need a sword."

Karin was sure that if the Arrancar had contained the ability to laugh at her, it would have by now. But instead, it glared with its bright eyes, and sneered softly.

"How much of a rookie Soul Reaper are you?" It hissed. "Are you a baby?"

"No!" Karin shouted defensively, then reigned herself in, "I mean, I just am not used to not having a weapon…don't you want this to be a clean fight?"

The Arrancar advanced a step forward hungrily; the glint in its eyes didn't suggest otherwise. "Suppose I don't…" She purred.

Karin gulped, not very audibly, but enough, "If you don't," She was searching for words faster than they could tumble out her lips, "what fun or sport is that for you? It'll just be your usual clean kill." Karin felt pretty confident about saying this, and she realized she'd struck a cord when the Arrancar scratched its chin, as if pondering further.

"Interesting," The Arrancar licked the top row of teeth, "Fine."

Karin nearly fell off balance in her stance. "_What_?"

"Don't toy with me," The Arrancar smiled viciously, "Grab your fallen friend's weapon and let us fight." She cracked her wrists, "I'm looking forward to the taste of your blood, Soul Reaper."

The words "fallen friend" leapt to Karin's mind, and before the Arrancar had even finished its sentence, she was at Hinamori's side. She didn't know how she'd moved that fast, it was inhuman, but then again…_I guess I'm not fully human anymore, huh? _Karin pondered to herself.

Momo was a mess. She was propped against the rock, but her hair was lanky and in her face, her cheeks bloodstained, and her black kimono now a standard bloody white robe. She looked so frail, Karin thought at first she was already dead, her heart skipping a beat. Tobiume was cracking around the edges, chipping slowly. Karin wasn't sure what that meant, but she didn't like it nonetheless.

Karin knelt beside her, holding her shoulders with her hands.

"Hinamori…"

Momo lifted her head slowly, her dark eyes scanning Karin. "It worked…" She croaked, managing a smile.

"Yeah," Karin sighed, relieved Momo wasn't totally out of commission, "It did. Thanks to you." She allowed a second before her eyes turned sterner. "I need Tobiume, Momo."

To this, Hinamori's eyes became confused, her hand gripping tighter around the breaking sword. "N-n-no," She whimpered, and Karin had never heard such a plead, "You can't use Tobiume. She's d…she's defeated." Her voice became a whisper.

But Karin didn't understand this. "No, I have to fight the Arrancar or we're both going to die. Please, Hinamori."

"But," Momo's eyes were glazed, out of focus, "You have a sword of your own you know."

This made Karin's head snap in surprise, her eyebrows raised incredulously, "What? Since when?"

Momo chuckled softly, which Karin thought was a weird thing to do in the midst of death and disaster. "You have had a sword since I made you a Soul Reaper. You just couldn't sense it apparently." She twitched, almost a shudder against Karin's grip. Tobiume almost seemed to sigh in Karin's eyes.

"Oh!" Karin scanned her robes, "But…where is it?" She let go of Momo and began to pat herself down. There were no giant swords strung to her hip that was noticeable, not like it had been with Ichigo for sure. Suddenly, she felt a bump against her hip, almost as if it was _inside_ her robes. "No way….what?" She fumbled inside her kimono until she felt the warm hard metal of a sheath. She could not understand why she hadn't felt it before. But then, she was more of a soul now than human. She pulled out the sheath, surprised at how light it felt. When it was finally out in the open, she could examine the blade.

It was tiny. Well, tiny compared to what she was picturing for a sword of her own. It was almost the length of her fingertips to her elbow, a thin silver blade with a hilt of crimson. The guard was composed of three metal wavy flames circling to create the end of the hilt. There was nothing overly special about the blade, except its odd shortness.

"What the hell?" Karin was more or less disappointed with such a miniscule weapon. "This is my sword? Are you kidding?"

"It's perfect for you," Momo sighed, her eyes looking more distant. Karin hated seeing her like this. This wasn't the Lieutenant that had just saved her life; not in any sense of the word.

"Perfect my rear," Karin grunted, staring at the small sharp blade. "It's not even long enough to do any dam—"

"ENOUGH!" The Arrancar a few yards ahead of them smacked her gums, sounding less than patient at this point. "I'm tired of waiting for these weapons…use what you have. It'll make no difference anyway, I'm going to kill and eat you!" The Arrancar laughed maniacally and advanced, throwing its hands in front to launch an assault. Karin raised the blade in front of her face, ready for the assault, when a loud CLANK! Rang out.

Karin stared for a second, stunned, as Captain Hitsugaya gripped his sword harder, crouching in the middle between the Arrancar and Karin.

"I take it," Toshiro growled beneath its blade, "You're Konso's boss."

"Don't flatter me," The Arrancar spat, "Konso is dust under me." She eyed the captain with a gleam that was neither friendly nor aggressive; a hungry gleam. "I take it he's dead."

"No," Toshiro simply stared, "but he's as good as dust, now that he's run away."

"Hmph," She smiled evilly, her sword clashing with Toshiro's harder, "More soul for me, then huh?"

**So, end of chapter huh? I wasn't sure where to end this one, so I figured I would before Toshiro truly realizes what's up with Karin and Hinamori….we'll save that for the next chapter! **

**I'm glad you like the story. I hope you liked this chapter. If you want to show your support for the story, please do not hesitate to. You all inspire me so much with your great ideas…please keep sending me them. **

**Love,**

**Romania Black**


	20. Rage Like Molten Ice

Hello!

Ah, so after a few weeks I'm on break! Just in time for some writing! I hope to get more than just this chapter out in a week…but we'll see. No immediate guarantees, but I'm glad the story is finally where I wanted it to be. And I'm glad you all like it so far…or at least that's what the reviews say.

Special thanks to those that did review! Your words were inspiring to me, and got me pumped to write this next chapter. Reviewers include: Shadow-Binder, Revolation, A Bleach Fan (thanks for the heads up…in the English dub version, instead of Shinigami they say Soul Reapers. It is confusing though, right?), and mysticbreez. (School is in fact "a b*" ^_^)

I do not own anything from Bleach, but check out the Manga…things are getting interesting!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! ENJOY THE CHAPTER!

Sincerely,

Romania Black

**Chapter Twenty**

_**Don't blame me  
I have no room for your guilt  
Don't blame me  
For the world on its tilt**_

Though the air was silent around them, Karin could feel the tension echoing off Toshiro's blade, the vibrating metal against that of the Arrancar standing half-crouched above him. The hollow sneered and bared her sharp teeth.

"Get out of my way, Soul Reaper," She hissed, "I'll eat you after I eat the other two."

"Why settle for them?" Toshiro cricked his wrist slightly, "I'm much more appealing of a soul I'm sure."

The Arrancar licked her front teeth, "That you are…"

Toshiro tightened the grip of his sword again, taking advantage of her drop in spiritual pressure, he swiveled his foot to latch the back corner of her inner knee, causing her to lose balance and footing; enough for him to send an icy blast her way. Unable to counter quickly enough, the ice from Hyorinmaru sent her flying into the forest, flakes of frost floating around the Captain's head.

Karin stared in awe, nearly dropping her sword. "Whoa."

It was as if Toshiro had just realized she was standing behind him, he gave a startled jump backwards. Karin stuttered, surprised by his reaction. "Wha--? It's just me!" She tried to smile, but suddenly Toshiro wasn't looking at her face anymore. He was scanning her head to toe as if it was their first encounter. There was something strange about Toshiro's expression to Karin…he looked…almost panicked. His teal eyes were looking her over with at first confusion, but now they were irises filling with worry and horror. She could see the gathering whites of his eyes.

"What—"He finally seemed to regain his voice. He stopped and his face paled.

Karin felt a rush of wind and then Toshiro was gone. Were she still merely human, she wouldn't have been able to feel his presence or even know what had happened. But she was more soul now, and could sense his spiritual energy in the air around her. It collected in her mind, until she was drawn to look behind her. Toshiro's back was to her; he was kneeling in front of Momo, his hands tenderly outstretched to touch her shoulders.

She lifted her head up, the dark brown hair mussed and half in her face, a few strands clinging to her mouth. Her white robe was falling off one shoulder, brushing Toshiro's hand, as she gave him a small smile.

"Shiro-chan," she squeaked.

"Momo…" Toshiro looked down at Tobiume. The sword was almost broken apart, the edges chipped away. "…What were you thin—"

"I'm sorry." Her words silenced him. "I had to. There wasn't any time…I guess it wouldn't be too unreasonable to say I wasn't trying to redeem myself." Her words were almost inaudible.

Toshiro gripped her shoulders, "Stop talking. You're going….you're going," He didn't know what to say. Her face looked utterly defeated. "Just keep looking at me, Momo."

But her face was already starting to drift away, her mind starting to appear blank. Toshiro gently shook her, "Stay with me, Momo! Don't look away from me!"

"Captain," She said the title so coolly, Toshiro almost let her go in surprise, his teal eyes flashing as he gave a small gasp, "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing." She chuckled. "Look…I actually called you….Captain…" She let out a labored breath.

"Momo—"

"I'll," Hinamori smiled, a very disturbing smile, because it seemed so at peace and so out of place, "I'll see him Toshiro…I'll smell his scent, feel…the warmth from his embrace…."

"He's in Hell, Momo, don't say such things!" Toshiro looked furious now, the irises cold and full of anger. He was inches from Momo's face. "Look at me!"

Her head didn't move, but her eyes glanced his way. "Tell Ichigo I'm sorry…Karin…Shiro…tell him….I'm….."

Tobiume snapped, much like the command to call her, and transformed back to a normal katana. Momo's eyes stared at the speechless captain, almost gleaming as if they'd found peace where it had recently been denied. Momo's eyes lost focus, becoming gray and distant.

And then Karin couldn't detect her spiritual pressure.

The silence that hung in the air reaffirmed what Karin's mind suggested. She could feel her heart tighten in her chest. She didn't know if she could breathe_. Momo….Momo's…._

"HAAAA!!!" The Arrancar burst from the forest, her sword rose above her head, glinting in the sunlight. Karin raised her sword to combat the attack, but the voice from beside her once again came in between.

The most rage filled roar pierced the afternoon sky, and Toshiro lunged at the Arrancar, his sword spewing ice like molten lava, encompassing the Arrancar. The female hollow shrieked and wildly leapt back and forth trying to dodge, but the Captain's fury was unleashing so much reitsu, it was almost cloaking any chance of escape.

"YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED HER!" Toshiro blindly thrashed his sword, Hyorinmaru spouting ice waves to trap the Arrancar, who was taken in shock by the Captain's display. "MOMO'S GONE BECAUSE OF YOU!" He roared, Hyorinmaru almost seething against his palm; a white chilled seethe.

Karin backed away towards Momo to avoid the blasts, but when she looked back to her fallen companion, there were no remains. Only the sheathed form of Tobiume prone near the rubble; Karin held her breath. She was gone.

"YOU—FILTHY—MONSTER!" Toshiro slew the vibrations of spirit energy ice until the Arrancar, overwhelmed, was completely frozen, her face in mid-expression, a mixture of anger and surprise. Hyorinmaru doused the Arrancar in ice until she was completely covered. The ice looked bizarre to Karin in contrast to the trees, but then wasn't it bizarre for her to think of something like that at a time like now?

Toshiro paused, panting, his sword gripped with both hands. There was an odd silence that filled the air; Karin didn't know what to do with it.

She sheathed the sword back into her kimono. "Toshiro…"

"Shut your mouth." He snapped. Karin felt as if she'd been slapped across the cheek. "Shut up." His breath was heavy and quick. "That Arrancar wasn't the only reason she died."

A large stone of emotion rolled down Karin's throat and settled at the base of her stomach. The rest of her felt empty. Toshiro's cold eyes gravely stared at the empty rubble, but refused to meet Karin's. In the distance, the Arrancar split into several chunks, the ice falling heavy to the ground.

"We didn't even get her name," Karin whispered, mostly to herself.

"I said Shut u—"

"Captain Hitsugaya!" Tessai came running from the other side of the hill, Ururu in tow, her large white wrapped gun propped on her shoulders. Rukia was running alongside them, her black hair flowing in the wind. Tessai stopped short of Karin and Toshiro, adjusting his glasses and looking only at Toshiro. "We just saw on our radars the Arrancar—"

"Why didn't you come sooner?" Toshiro growled. Rukia raised her eyebrows.

"I'm sorry Captain Hitsugaya, but the Arrancar was blocking our sensing abilities," She gave him a grave stare, "probably one of its key abilities." She was talking calm and collected, as if trying to calm him as she spoke.

Toshiro lowered Hyorinmaru slowly, and then let out a small sigh. "No…I was being irrational. Forgive me." He turned from all of them in a slow, hesitant movement. "I…I need a personal moment. Excuse me." With those words, he proceeded to walk back towards the hill, no words being spoken.

"I don't understand," Rukia breathed, watching him walk away.

"We lost the feeling of Hinamori's spiritual pressure on the way here." Tessai squandered. "Please, where is Madame Hinamori?"

Karin looked up at Tessai, didn't want to say the words, but knew it needed to be done.

"She's dead."

Rukia and Tessai let out an audible breath, both quickly giving Karin intense looks.

"What happened?" Rukia demanded.

"What did the killer appear as?" Tessai asked, confusing Karin but also making her question her own assumptions. It was Ururu that broke the silence of awkwardness.

"Karin," Ururu opened her eyes in shock, "What's happened to you?"

"What?" Rukia stared at Ururu, then Karin. It took only a few seconds more before her mouth was hung completely open. "Karin….you're…."

"Yeah," Karin looked at the ground to avoid their awkward stares. "I'm a Soul Reaper."

**Not so much of a cliffhanger, but I hope to have this week to chuck out another chapter! If you have any suggestions, let me know. I love hearing it. **

**Many thanks and have a great Week, and Thanksgiving (if you celebrate it.)**

**Cheers,**

**Romania Black**


	21. The Eyes of Cold Justice

Hello!

Well, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving yesterday! (If you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, I still hope your day was good!) Mine was lovely, and instead of fighting masses of people to go shopping (who needs to fight people over a pair of shoes anyway?) I decided to get the next chapter in!

A nice Thanksgiving surprise, to show how thankful I am for all of you reading this story!! (And liking it so far)

So, special thanks to reviewers Revolation, Taeniaea, and zer0justice! I'm so happy you're enjoying the story. I'm flattered by your compliments. –blushes-

I do not own anything from Bleach, but check out the Manga…things are getting interesting!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! ENJOY THE CHAPTER!

Sincerely,

Romania Black

**Chapter Twenty-One**

_**Explain yourself and gain the world  
Explain yourself and Become  
Shunned from its back**_

None of them moved, not at first. Tessai seemed the least affected by Karin's statement, still pondering over the ice shards that contained the decimated Arrancar. His glasses were glaring in the afternoon sun that had just started to peek behind the clouds created by Hyorinmaru. Ururu's eyes were wide, but didn't seem overwhelmed, just taking in Karin's new wardrobe.

Rukia was beside herself however.

"A—A Soul Reaper?" She stammered, "Karin…what on Earth happened here?"

Karin looked Toshiro's direction, but he was almost beyond their site, walking to the other end of the field. His spiritual pressure was still spiking though, as if he was letting off steam. She forced herself to focus back on Rukia, still stunned waiting for a reply.

"Toshiro and I were taking care of a Hollow on the field, and then the Arrancar from the other day arrived—"

"He must be the one jamming the spiritual signals," Tessai noted, glancing from his observation at Rukia, who was in a shocked silence, eyes still intense on Karin. "A similar occurrence happened when he arrived before."

"Toshiro fought him, and that's when Lieutenant Hinamori showed up," Karin continued, "She was leading me away when the other Arrancar came out of nowhere and attacked us." She gripped her arm reflexively, looking away from them. "Hinamori didn't know where Toshiro was…and we were going to be killed…so she said I had to..." Karin didn't want to go on anymore. "…She had a plan to save us both—"

"Why would she do that?" Rukia interrupted, her eyes fierce, looking away from Karin. "It doesn't make sense…I told her what had happened with Ichigo…but that's a rare occurrence!" She swirled her head back to Karin. "She knew that!"

Karin tried to make sense from Rukia's confused expression. "She knew it was a gamble, but we were both injured." She gave Rukia a softened look, "She saved my life. If she hadn't done this…"

Rukia's glance softened slightly as well, "Karin…I…I understand, I think. At least more than before." Her eyes hardened ever the subtlest, "But that doesn't solve the problem…she gave you abilities that are not permitted for us to give. It's against Soul Society law to transfer power to a human."

"What?" Karin felt like the slaps to the face just kept coming. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you're not legally supposed to be in the state you are," Rukia sighed, her face looking more and more exhausted. Ururu shrugged the gun on her shoulder to the ground.

"So am I under arrest or something?" Karin tilted an eyebrow. _How could she say this?_ "I almost died fighting an Arrancar and now I'm going to be arrested?"

Rukia could see she was starting to become frustrated, closing her eyes as she thought. "I'm not sure…As a Lieutenant I'm not sure what my stance on the issue is. To be honest, I did the same thing as Momo, so I don't have a lot of jurisdiction to place any custody over you." She gave Karin a firm stare, "Though…explaining your… _condition…_ is going to be a problem…"

"There is no problem."

Toshiro suddenly emerged from behind Rukia. Karin gulped involuntarily; she had been so focused on the conversation with Rukia she hadn't even noticed him approach. His spiritual pressure had calmed, but the look on his face was anything but. His expression was unlike any Karin had ever witnessed; he looked as if he wanted to slice Karin into pieces. It was a look that made his eyes so cold with fury; she was actually scared of him.

"Captain…" Rukia breathed.

"There is no problem," Toshiro gave Rukia a hard gaze. "We'll take Kurosaki into custody and see what the Council of 46 has to say about the matter."

"Captain Hitsugaya," Rukia did not raise her voice, but her eyes grew considerably larger and more concerned, "You can't be serious, Captain."

"On the contrary," Toshiro gave a deadly look towards Karin, a look almost soulless. "She's a conspirator in the murder of Momo Hinamori…I have all reasons to place her under arrest."

"Wha—Captain!" Rukia stuttered, her mouth dropping.

Karin couldn't believe this was the same Toshiro that had brought her here. He was acting completely different and irrationally. She felt her fists tighten at her side. She wanted to yell at him, scream at how ridiculous he was acting, how insane this accusation was. _Murder Momo? She died to save me! I didn't murder her at all! Toshiro--!_

"Captain," Tessai said slowly, "Those are serious charges." His dark eyes scanned the Captain from behind the sun's glare. Rukia was clutching her sword with her hand, almost as if to steady herself. Ururu remained silent, but looking fearful.

Karin took a deep breath. "Toshiro," Rukia, Tessai, and Ururu's head jerked towards her, "I didn't help kill Momo," She breathed, her voice turning sincere, "Momo said she had to make me a Soul Reaper to save her and to save myself. I didn't want her to do it, but she did it anyway. I think she was seriously il—"

"I don't want to hear you talk anymore." Toshiro snapped so softly, Karin felt as if her throat had been slit. Ururu flinched. Tessai and Rukia were frozen. "I don't want to hear you say Momo's name again from here on out," He started to turn in his step, "It was a mistake to have brought you here. I realize the error of my ways…I can only hope I'm forgive for my carelessness." He paused, his eyes turning away from her with his step. "You're going to be held on trial for stealing Momo's abilities. Tessai and Ms. Tsumagiya will assist Lieutenant Kuchiki and I to take you back to Urahara's where we will access the Senkaimon."

Karin couldn't believe this. _It's not your fault she's dead either. _"Toshiro—"

In a single flash step, Toshiro was at Karin's side, his sword at her neck. Karin could feel the blade misting cold spiritual pressure against her skin. His eyes were terrifying as they bore into hers, almost draining her of her energy.

"You," He said slowly and deliberately, "Will address me as Captain Hitsugaya. Understand?"

Karin could barely nod without touching the blade.

"Captain," Rukia's angered voice came slowly from behind them, "Despite your irritation at the situation, we have to remain calm." She sighed, looking to Tessai and Ururu, then back to Toshiro. "We should take Miss Kurosaki back before any other Arrancars or Menos Grande appear to devour the rest of their fallen comrade." She motioned towards the starting-to-melt ice on the field. Karin hadn't taken into account whether the Arrancar was still there or not. She didn't dare look that direction though, not with Toshiro at her throat.

The Captain let the sword ease away from her neck, "Agreed." The words were as quick and sharp as his steps away from her. He was already walking towards the other side of the field, as Tessai, Ururu, Rukia, and Karin made their way behind him. "Lieutenant," Toshiro's voice came coldly from in front of them.

"Yes?" Rukia hesitated.

"Make sure to bound Miss Kurosaki's hands behind her," He didn't even glance back at them, "I didn't see her zanpaktou, but I'd like it not to come out when we reach the Soul Society."

And those were the last words spoken by Toshiro until they reached Urahara's.

Walking back from the edge of the field, Karin felt her hands behind her being bound by what seemed like spiritual pressure. She glanced behind her shoulder and saw Rukia and ropes of yellowed light.

"Sorry," Rukia whispered, "But he is higher up than I am." Her voice exemplified more anger than Karin had expected. "This is a simple Kido, but it should hold you to his standards." She looked up, "I've never seen him this cold tempered."

"It's okay." Karin hadn't expected the words to come out, and from the look on Rukia's face, neither had she. "It's just...Momo seemed close to him…" Karin replied, her voice dropping. She could understand his anger in small amounts more and more, "It's okay. Really."

Rukia smiled softly, "He hasn't had time to mourn yet either, so just be patient." She tightened the yellow glowing spirit-rope around Karin's wrists. "He'll come around…"

"Miss Kuchiki," Tessai raised a hand over his chest, showing respect, "I believe it would be better if Ururu and I went ahead, to see Kisuke and ready the Senkaimon for the three of you."

Rukia leaned over Tessai's shoulder so she could see Toshiro, "Did you hear that Captain?"

Captain Hitsugaya did not turn around, but merely nodded. Rukia gave an impatient huff. _He's never been like this…_ "Okay Tessai, that would be wonderful. Thank you."

"Come along, Ururu," Tessai motioned the smaller girl, and the two of them flew off quickly. Karin wondered why they didn't immediately follow them.

At the edge of the field, Toshiro checked his phone without saying a word, then looked to Rukia. "Ready, Lieutenant?"

"Yes," Rukia replied.

The three took into the air, Rukia dragging Karin up into the air with her, and Toshiro speeding ahead. They were going in the opposite direction of the Urahara Shoten.

"Wha—What's going on?" Karin stammered, her feet dangling wildly in the air. "Where are we going? Why didn't we follow Ururu and Tessai? What's going on--"

"Easy," Rukia smiled, amused, "You know, now that you're a Soul Reaper, you can gain your footing in the air."

"I—I—What?"

"Try it," Rukia gestured, and Karin found that she could place her feet on the air as if it was the very ground she'd been on previously.

"Woah." Karin felt so surreal; none of this seemed possible.

She hovered in place for a second, and then began floating, or flying; she wasn't sure, towards Rukia and Toshiro, her hands still bound by Kido. Toshiro was far ahead of them, but Rukia had stayed and waited on her. Karin assumed Toshiro must be able to still sense them, hence why he wasn't concerned.

"Okay," Karin smiled as she let out a breath, "Let's carry on I guess." Her face lit up. "Wait, you didn't tell me where we're going!"

The two of them were flying, not fast; more or less running in midair, but Karin liked to think of it as flying. The air whirled through her hair, and her black kimono. She felt weightless. Rukia maintained a professional gaze as she sighed,

"Since the new council of 46 were introduced, there have been some changes to standard procedure for incarceration. Now, when a prisoner is taken from foreign territory, it is procedure for us to inform a member of that person's family."

"What?" Karin blurted, "My dad and sister can't see me like this! What'll they think? What about—"She choked on the word _Ichigo. Ichigo, _Karin thought with humiliation and terror,_ how can I appear to him like this? It'll crush him…_

"Don't worry," Rukia's voice instantly snapped Karin back to reality, and for some strange reason, soothed her, "Ichigo left with Nel before I even came with Tessai and Ururu. He doesn't know what happened."

Karin stared. "How did you—"

"As for your father and sister, that's not a problem," Rukia continued. "I figured you wouldn't want them to know what's going on, so I'm going to simply tell them you came with me to assist. Your father should understand, without having to know anything more."

Karin didn't know what to say; she couldn't believe Rukia had already taken care of everything. "Did you just think of all this? Before we left the field?"

"Yes," Rukia replied slowly, blushing and not sure what to say.

"No wonder you're a Lieutenant." Karin smirked, as they continued towards what Karin assumed now to be her home.

The air was still, though they were traveling quickly, Toshiro maintaining his pace ahead of them. Rukia turned to Karin,

"I know you just learned about walking on air, but I need to inform Toshiro I'll be the one going in to talk to Mr. Kurosaki. I'll assume you understand running away isn't an option, however," She gave Karin a look that suggested a challenge, "Do you think you can keep up with Toshiro and I while I go ahead for a moment?"

Karin, who had no intention of running from her new fate, smiled to accept the challenge, "Don't think it'll be too hard to keep up with you guys."

Rukia let out a small laugh, and sped ahead to inform Toshiro she was the one to talk with the Kurosaki family concerning them taking Karin to the Soul Society. She looked back; Karin was huffing loudly and swinging her bound hands back and forth to try and create more velocity, but it seemed to be a harder challenge than the girl had anticipated. That certainly wasn't stopping her from trying.

Rukia smiled inwardly, _she's going to have so much to learn…_Her gaze suddenly changed to that of concern, _if she's allowed the chance…_

**Well, this chapter actually turned out longer than I planned, so I'm going to have to end here, and make room for the next chapter!**

**Next chapter, **

**Rukia and Toshiro take Karin to the Soul Society! Should be fun, right? **

**Thank you for all the support and reviews! **

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**Cheers,**

**Romania Black**


	22. The Soul Society: Welcomes from Jidanbo

Hello!

Well, the school semester is finally over! Hoorah! With finals out of the way, I'm very excited at the chance to write more this winter break. And excited for new stories about Karin! I'm also curious to see if there are any characters you'd like to see in the story…you're the readers; you should contribute to whom you read about! So via review or what not, let me know!

Special Thanks to zer0justice, crappycomputer999, and theblueturtl6 for the reviews! They were greatly appreciated!

I do not own anything from Bleach, but check out the Manga…things are getting interesting!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! ENJOY THE CHAPTER!

Sincerely,

Romania Black

**Chapter Twenty-two**

_**This world is a mirror of my own  
Where my world is broken  
This world is whole  
Where my world is immaculate  
This world is Hell**_

Karin would never forget the last time she saw the sun fading on Earth. From the back of Urahara's Shoten, the setting sun made the sky a sorbet orange, red ribbons flowing in and out the clouds. She sighed leaning against the door frame; her arms were still tied with the glowing yellow kido, but she didn't feel any pain from the sharp spiritual pressure anymore.

She wasn't sure what the excuse was that Rukia gave her father. All she could think to tell Rukia when she returned was how thankful she'd been that the Soul Reaper didn't take a lot of time explaining. The uncomfortable silence between Captain Hitsugaya and herself were almost too much to bear. Luckily, once they'd made it back to Urahara's, there was too much commotion to worry about the still-tense Captain.

"WHAT?! No way! How did you become a Soul Reaper?! Was there a fight?" Jinta was jumping up and down, despite Tessai's one armed attempt to hold him down, his club swinging violently and barely missing the larger former Kido Captain. "What happened!?"

"I think," Kisuke interrupted, sidestepping between them, "that Miss Kurosaki has had enough questioning today. Am I right?" He gave Karin a look from underneath her hat that made her think he was analyzing every muscle of her body. It was discomforting to her to say the least.

"I've not really been questioned that much," Karin offered, trying to force a smile. It was stifled when she noticed Toshiro glance her way out of the corner of her eye. His eyes were still icy, and still chilled her blood.

"Not yet you haven't been questioned," Kisuke smirked, "Once you hit Soul Society though, it'll be a whole different ball game."

"Karin's going to the Soul Society?!" Jinta cried out, his hazel eyes furious, "Why? I want to go!" Tessai at this point had to literally drag Jinta away; as he continued to ramble on about how unfair it was that Karin was a Soul Reaper now.

"Mr. Kisuke," Ururu poked her head slowly from around his black cape. "What will happen to Karin?" She blushed, "Now that she's going to the Soul Society."

Kisuke gave Ururu a pat on her head, but suddenly had a curious expression. "I actually don't know, Ururu." He turned to Rukia, "I would assume, Lieutenant Kuchiki, you would know more than I."

"To be honest, with a new council there's no telling," Rukia had her arms crossed, the gate to the Senkaimon opening up behind her, or what Karin guessed was that. It was strange to see a giant paper and wood door opening wide in the middle of the road. It looked so…unnatural. "Hopefully, considering the circumstance," Her eyes flickered on Toshiro, who didn't seem to be paying attention any longer, his back to the group, "there will not be any serious charges."

"Hopefully?" Karin whimpered. _ What if they decide to cut off my head or something? I heard this 'council' wasn't a great thing in the Soul Society from Ichigo…what if he's right?_

"Ah," Kisuke smiled, "I'm sure with your reputation, Miss Kurosaki, you'll be fine." He patted Karin on the shoulder, as Rukia motioned her into the Senkaimon gate. "You are your brother's sister."

"Don't remind me," Karin sneered at Kisuke's cheerful expression, as he lifted his fan jokingly to his face. _In more ways than one now…_

Rukia led Karin into the gate, Toshiro moving quickly past them. Karin was able to look back to see the scene fading from her eyes. Urahara had a hand on Ururu's shoulder, her face looking sadder and sadder the more she looked into Karin's face. She wished she could see Kisuke's face, but his white and green striped hat shielded any chance of her seeing his eyes. Tessai was at the door behind them with Jinta in tow. Jinta was no longer thrashing, trying to escape Tessai's grip. Instead he was looking right at Karin, with a look that was almost indescribable. It was as if he wasn't going to see her again. Karin felt the first hot tear roll down her cheek. She didn't know why she should be crying, or even if souls _could_ cry, but the look of her friend that seemed like a final farewell was just enough to get a drop dribbling down her face.

She brushed the tear from her cheek with her shoulder, and turned away; afraid if she looked any more she'd ask to stay.

Inside the passage to the Soul Society, it seemed more hellish than heavenly. The walls they ran through appeared like walls made of skeleton bones and mist. The fog smelled terrible, and she felt as if something was lurking, waiting to jump out at them at any given second. Instead of focusing on the slimy walls of the inner gate, she tried to concentrate on moving forward. Getting the hang of running as a soul, she clung near Rukia, to stay reassured. Toshiro was so far ahead of them, she could barely make out the outline of his body as they ran into the light of the outside; what Karin assumed was the Soul Society. The light grew lighter and brighter, until it consumed the slime walls of the Senkaimon and dissolved the skull bones that littered the ground. Karin held her breath, or what she assumed was her breath, as they stepped into the open Soul Society air.

It was…_green_…surprisingly green. Karin hadn't expected the Soul Society to look like this at all. She'd expected white clouds, or open sky. But there they were, in the midst of what looked like a large forest. _Is this really it? It just looks like some wilderness…weird…_

"It's a lot to take in," Rukia smiled at Karin's expression, "But we're not even at the Soul Society yet."

"What?" Karin's mouth flopped open. "Then where are we?"

"The Rukongai," Rukia explained, motioning Karin to follow her forward, "It's a part of the Soul Society where souls congregate once they pass on. There are over 90 districts in the Rukongai, each one more dangerous than the next. Luckily we landed in a peaceful area, so no worries yet."

"Oh," Karin had her head down, feeling silly suddenly. "So I'm guessing the Soul Reapers don't live out here?"

"No," Rukia frowned, "Many are from the Rukongai though. However, Soul Reapers live in the Siereitei, which is where we're going to now."

The forest suddenly opened up, the sun gleaming through the leaves and onto their faces. Karin walked out into the sunlight and was instantly struck in awe.

It was the white she had imagined; well, the white surrounding her that she pictured heaven seeming like. There was a giant white wall surrounding what appeared to be ivory stone mountains in the shape of buildings. The windows seemed like tiny ants splattered on their sides, which made the huge structures seem even vaster. Karin staggered in place, soaking in the immaculate image before her.

"That's—that's the Siereitei?"

Rukia grinned deeper. "Nice reaction. Yes, this is the Siereitei, home of the Soul Reapers." She paused, as if realizing something, "Well, Soul Reapers and some low ranking aristocrats."

"Wow," Karin immediately responded, as if she hadn't taken in the information; just let it wash over her. "I—I—I—"

"There'll be time to stare at it once we're inside," Rukia nudged Karin along from behind, Karin still staring star struck at the towers as they headed towards the large white gates. "We have to go in first."

Rukia and Karin walked slowly towards the gates; the ground shook beneath them. Karin thought it must have been an earthquake, when suddenly; a large shadow engulfed their bodies.

"Get back," Rukia warned Karin softly, pushing her aside.

They stepped out of the shadow, just as a thunderous explosion shook the ground. Karin fell to her feet, her arms still tied tightly behind her. Her eyes grew wider as the smoke cleared, and she saw what caused the impact.

It was a man, or from what Karin could tell a Giant. He had large black sideburns and a weirdly shaped Red hat. His clothes were made of leather and looked homemade. Karin couldn't help but stare into his large black eyes, which looked as big as her head. Rukia brushed off her shoulders and smiled up at the giant.

"Hello, Jidanbo." She smiled. The Giant man grinned back, his voice booming,

"Rukia! Hello!" His gaze shifted to Karin, who was trembling. "And who are you, small one?" Karin was shaking so hard she couldn't speak. Jidanbo smirked, "She's a tiny one, Rukia. Smaller than you. What's her name?"

"Jidanbo," Rukia patted Karin's shoulder, as if to calm her, "This is Karin."

"Ah!" The giant chuckled deeply, extending a huge hand towards her, "Nice to meet you, Miss Karin!" Rukia motioned to the spot behind Karin's back.

"Actually," She smiled, "Karin can't shake your hand unfortunately."

Jidanbo noticed the yellow bindings, and his brow furrowed. "Prisoner?" He seemed in disbelief. "For what?"

"Can't say now," Rukia smiled serenely, "But if you'd let us through that would be wonderful."

The giant gave Karin another skeptical stare, and then lowered his hands and slowly lifted the heavy stone doors to get into the Siereitei. Karin couldn't believe how strong he was, to lift doors that seemed immovable. "Hurry in little ones," Jidanbo smirked, "The last boy to try and get through here didn't make it."

Karin gulped loudly, but Rukia shuffled her forward, whispering in her ear,

"Don't worry. The boy he's talking about was your brother…and he was in much deeper things than you are now."

"My _brother_?!" Karin whispered back incredulously, hoping the giant didn't hear (since she suspected Rukia didn't tell him her last name for a reason), but Jidanbo had already shut the doors down behind them, his voice a fading echo,

"Nice to meet you Karin! Good luck Rukia!"

The doors shut loudly behind them, but Karin paid no attention. For in front of her was Toshiro, his white hair blowing lightly with the wind, his stone teal eyes penetrating her face as if he wanted it to explode. Rukia grimaced, apparently liking his face just as much as Karin.

"Finally," The captain sighed impatiently, "Bring Miss Ku—"

"Captain Hitsugaya," Rukia cut him off quickly, her voice dropping, "Perhaps it would be better if we refer to her as simply Miss Karin?" Her eyes narrowed. "To avoid any…confusion or hysterics due to her…_relation_." There was something about the way she said the words that Karin didn't appreciate, but she couldn't place her finger on it.

Toshiro stared at Rukia long and hard, then turned away without defiance.

"Suit yourself. Just bring the prisoner along."

Rukia nudged Karin forward. Karin turned her head behind her shoulder and gave Rukia a hopeless glance.

"How long will he be this way?"

"Patience," Rukia hesitated to say, her eyes focused on the captain walking ahead of them, "Patience, Karin."

**Well, there you have it for now! I'm excited for the next couple of chapters, and I hope you are as well. If you have any request for character appearances, I'd love to include some…I'm still stuck in some places plot wise to link what I want to happen with what is…so any ideas are appreciated!**

**Thank you for reading the chapter! I hope you enjoyed the story so far!**

**Cheers,**

**Romania Black**


	23. The Decided Fate of Karin Kurosaki

Hello!

Well, while not all of you celebrate Christmas, I still hope you've had a Happy Holiday or a good winter so far. I wanted to give you all a nice gift for today…so what better than a nice, new, long chapter! With a LOT happening, so be ready! This chapter is pretty much going to lead to some great things…you'll have to read to see what I mean.

Many thanks to KarinKurosakiHitsugaya913 for the review! You'll see your request is taken into consideration by the end of the chapter…trust me. ;)

I do not own anything from Bleach, but check out the Manga…the last chapter was one of my favorites in Bleach…seriously. Wow.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! ENJOY THE CHAPTER!

Sincerely,

Romania Black

**Chapter Twenty-three**

_**A Messenger's job is to deliver the lies and betrayals of others  
A Messenger's job is to deliver the joys and rumors of those  
Too afraid to deliver the messages themselves**_

Karin wasn't sure how long she'd rested against the brick wall of the jail cell. It could have been hours, or minutes; she had no concept of time beyond that of when she'd been ushered into the cell by Rukia and left alone. Karin tried to recall the look that was glazed over Rukia's eyes; it was one of unease, to be sure. But also, she almost looked…amused? _No, that's not right. _Karin kicked her heel behind her against the cobblestone back rest. _Darn it, now I'm talking to myself…great._

The silence annoyed Karin. She wanted to be in her bed now, listening to the sound of Yuzu tumble out of bed, trying to be quiet, as they got ready for the day; her father's yelling softer and barely audible from the length of the kitchen to their room. She missed the sun shining on her skin in a manner that could only be akin with Karakura Town, as if the town had a sun all its own.

_School. _Karin felt the word settle in her stomach, a stone of chilled water. The realization that she wouldn't be attending with Yuzu was all that filled her brain. _I'm not going to Junior High then, huh?_ She tried to force them out of her lips, to make them official, but they stayed glued to her throat, holding tight to her vocal chords.

She sank to a crouch against the slick damp wall, felt her sword's hilt jab her ribs, but she didn't care, her head burying itself in her knees, and let out a dry sob. She wasn't sad; she was frustrated; frustrated at her lack of power, her helplessness, and her lack of choice in the entire matter.

_I didn't ask for this! _She screamed in her mind, her white fists shaking curled up around her head, _I didn't ask to be a Soul Reaper! I didn't ask for Hinamori to give her life! I didn't want any of this! I didn't want this, Dammit!_

She told herself to not cry; whatever she did, don't cry. She wasn't about to succumb to the weakness that wanted to paralyze her. She knew that this would all get better…surely it would. She was about to lift her head off her knees, when she felt a click next to her. A rattling of keys followed, and then the steady pacing of feet against floor. Karin quickly lifted her head and wiped her dry eyes instinctively.

"Wha—"

"Are you okay?"

Rukia was standing before her, looking slightly in a better mood than before, but it almost seemed forced. She was standing at the door of the cell, keys in hand, and unlocking it. It wasn't Rukia's presence that concerned Karin; it was the man behind her. She had seen him before, tall and leanly built, he had long blonde hair that hung loose about his shoulders. His bangs were defined, shaped into an angular triangle. His blue eyes looked severely depressed and isolating.

"Yeah," Karin suddenly remembered Rukia had asked if she was okay.

The man's brow furrowed, "How do you feel?" His question wasn't in the most pleasant of tones. Karin felt slightly uneasy by his words. "Rukia told me who you were," He stopped and coughed shyly, seeing Karin's angry expression of betrayal she shot to Rukia. "I'm sorry," he framed delicately, "It's just, your spiritual pressure—"

"She wouldn't be able to answer Captain," Rukia intervened, opening the cell of the jail. "Karin," She swiftly added, before any remarks could be made, "You're wanted by the council for evaluation."

"Oh," Karin replied, a little shakily, "I didn't think they would be ready for a trial so soon…doesn't it usually take weeks for the process?"

"Typically," Rukia lowered her eyes, "Incarceration can take fourteen days to a month, depending on the severity of the trial. Since you came with us without any interruption or hesitation, you may be let off easier than you think. No one knows; since the new 46 have taken command, many of the old traditional rules have changed or been amended." She reached out and took Karin's hands, muttering an incantation that bound them in front of her now, like handcuffs.

"What matters now," The Captain added, "Is that you show up before the council and try to not make a scene. The council is going to assume you're rasher than some," He let out a small sigh, his eyes narrowing, "Considering your background."

"Does everyone compare me to Ichigo?" Karin asked, red rising to her cheeks in embarrassment.

"Well," The Captain smirked as she walked alongside him, "It would be hard not to make such similarities known. Your brother has quite the reputation, you know."

"Yeah," Karin replied heatedly, "I know."

The three walked along the corridor and out into the streets. The sun was still in the air, but was no longer above them, rather starting to sink into the West. _I must have been here a few hours already, _Karin judged from its location. Rukia and her Captain walked steadily forward, with Karin sandwiched between them, trying to keep up with their fast walking. Several people were standing outside the doors of the buildings around them, staring at Karin with acute interest. She wondered how many knew who she was, or how many were just nosy and curious.

"The council has been known in the past for their ruthlessness," The Captain was speaking again, his blonde hair gleaming in the sun, "Just keep quiet and accept whatever punishment they assign."

"But I haven't—"Karin tried to rebut, but Rukia cut her off.

"It's essential that you don't interject, Karin!" She gave Karin a sharp and deadly glare. "The council will only hurt your punishment worse if you do. Just accept what they give you." She smiled suddenly, throwing Karin off guard, "If it's too severe, don't worry, we'll get you out of it."

Rukia's smile and words suddenly lifted a small weight off Karin's heart. "You promise?" She meekly responded.

"Of course," Rukia grinned and focused forward. Her Captain eyed her suspiciously, as if he wasn't so sure she should be making promises like this; but if he truly objected her response, he never showed it.

The Council of 46 was located in a building that was tall and all white with orange-brown roofing and doors. Karin was led in by the Captain, with Rukia behind her. The doors shut loudly behind them, and suddenly Karin found herself in a hallway with the path shut behind them, and the only way forward was a room where there was a raucous of loud voices that seemed to be yelling at one another.

"Is that--?" Karin felt herself sway a little in her place.

"Yes," The Captain said somberly. "In you go, Miss Karin."

"Don't worry," Rukia reassured her smiling slightly, "Just keep yourself under control."

"Easy for you to say," Karin frowned, moving forward into the room, the doors shutting violently behind her as they had before when they first entered.

Rukia turned and looked at her Captain, her black hair framing her frown, "She'll be okay, right?" It was looking for reassurance more than anything. The captain sighed, his eyes looking towards the ceiling.

"Who really knows? I've not seen any of their trials yet." He turned to Rukia. "We have more urgent matters at the moment though, and I have to attend to them."

"That's alright," Rukia gave her Captain a grin, "I'll stay here and wait on the verdict."

"Are you sure?" The captain turned one more time to give her a look of incredulity.

"Yes," Rukia nodded, "I'm sure. Thank you, Captain."

Karin had never felt so…claustrophobic. There were the 46 men and women crowded into the lecture-hall type room. Gathered in a semi-circle around her, there were rows of them, all hidden behind paper thin walls of canvas, shielding their faces. Karin could not make out what individually they were murmuring about, but their words mingling created such a noise, it was almost deafening to her. Finally, one hand shot up, and with a wooden mallet in hand, it struck the table in front of them, silencing the entire room. Karin felt the sweat drip down her cheeks, and wished at that moment her hands would be free to wipe them.

"Karin Kurosaki," The voice of the man with the mallet boomed deeply. "The Council of 46 has gathered here to decide your fate. Council Member, please read the charges."

Another voice, this one a woman's, interjected, "Karin Kurosaki, reported earlier today, was attacked alongside Division Five Lieutenant Momo Hinamori and Tenth Division Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya by an unidentified Arrancar. This Arrancar pursued Captain Hitsugaya as Lt. Hinamori and the prisoner escaped on foot. The escape was blocked when another Arrancar attacked the Lieutenant and stranded the two kilometers from the Captain who was still in combat with the former Arrancar." She held her breath as the quiet murmurs died down. "It was during this time that the Lieutenant, without receiving permission or orders, transferred her power to the prisoner, sealing what was a severe wound into a fatal one—"

Karin was about to say something about Momo's injury being the source of her death, not the transference of power, but then she remembered Rukia's voice in her head silencing her, and held her tongue.

"—thus, Captain Hitsugaya, after defeating the previous Arrancar, pursued the latter Arrancar and destroyed it." She stopped and the louder man resumed speaking.

"As it stands, the prisoner has done no wrong except willingly take the powers of the Lieutenant—"

"Though strictly prohibited," A voice interrupted from the 46, and all mouths fell silent again, "The prisoner did not intentionally take these abilities for their own purpose. Captain Izuru Kira acknowledged that he had spoken with Captain Hitsugaya himself and offered support for the prisoner. He states she took the powers under Lieutenant Hinamori's suggestion, as it would help the both of them."

There was a shocked silence amongst the 46. Karin was the most stunned of all. _Toshiro…he defended me to Captain Izuru? But….why to him? Why not to me? He seemed so inhumanly angry earlier…_

"Enough!" The man with the mallet slammed it against the table, "We are aware of the situation and the motivations behind it. Still, this does not change the fact that the prisoner must face punishment for taking the powers of a Soul Reaper." The voice was chilling, and though she could not see the face of him speaking to her, she could feel his eyes turn to stare down at her. "Karin Kurosaki, the Council of 46 has decided your fate." He banged the mallet on the table three times.

This time another deep voice replied, smoother, and calmer than the mallet-swinging man's. "The Council of 46 hereby had decided the punishment of Karin Kurosaki for taking the powers of former Lieutenant Momo Hinamori." He paused. "As you are no longer merely a human, but must become accustomed to your new spiritual presence, you are hereby sentenced to train as a Soul Reaper at the Spiritual Arts Academy under strict guidance, and follow orders received thereon out, until the conclusion of your sentence can be determined." He paused again, allowing the murmurs of the crowd to die softly, "Immediately following the conclusion of this trial, you are to report to the division that we have specially chosen to oversee your training. The Lieutenant of that division will be awaiting you outside this room. Does the Council approve the punishment?"

The council roared a resounding "I" and the Mallet of the loud man slammed down in closure. Karin couldn't help but feel like she had cheated death in that instance.

_My…my punishment is to train as a Soul Reaper? That seems…so lenient. How did I get off this easy? _She pondered as the doors opened behind her and one Council member ushered her out with his voice. _All I have to do is train to be a Soul Reaper? This is going to be….this is going to be…._The council couldn't see the large grin that burst on her face. _FUN! I can't believe my luck! Punishment? Are they kidding? I'll take training to be a Soul Reaper over dying any day! And maybe, _her eyes lit up, _I could travel to the real world and see Yuzu and Goat Beard!_

Karin felt lighter than air as she exited the Council room and the light of the hallway spilled onto her face. That's when she saw, out of the blinding light, Rukia standing before her.

"YOU!" Karin bounded against Rukia, who took her into her arms in an embrace. "I can't believe this! I get to train with you and your Captain?" Karin suddenly lifted her head up, "Oh…wait. I'm sorry; did you hear the council's decision?"

"Yes," Rukia's face had the most relieved look that Karin had ever seen. "I can't believe it either…"

Karin laughed loudly, as Rukia broke the bonds that were lacing her hands together. She wrapped them around Rukia's back. "I can't believe this luck! Ichigo always told me how fun it was to kill hollows with you…now we get to do it all the time! Or, err," Karin smirked, "Until my punishment is 'concluded,' that is. Ha—"

"Karin," Rukia smiled lightly, but it was slowly turning into a frown, "I was aware of what they were talking about, but," She turned her eyes away, "I stayed behind after Captain Izuru left to wait on you…I'm not the one they assigned to help you."

Karin froze, her breath halting for a second, "Wait…what? If you're not the one that's supposed to help train me…then who—"

"Yo."

The voice shot out from behind Rukia and Karin, a voice that was so familiar to Karin, she didn't jump at first. Not until she realized the voice was coming from a lieutenant. Then, her heart began to freeze like her breath. _There's no way…_

Rukia's eyes widened, "You're not—"She half-whispered.

"Yeah." Renji smirked at Rukia, and then turned to Karin, "I was sent here to pick you up, kid. You better savor this moment with Rukia, because her brother isn't nearly as soft...or nice on new students."

**Happy Holidays!!!**

**Romania Black**


	24. Hidden Intentions

Hello!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2010 is here already?!? Who would have thought it would come so fast!? I'm so amazed…as such, I hope to get TWO chapters out in a relatively short time to celebrate. Hoorah! Please take note of my comment on the review from Dog ()…

SPECIAL THANKS:

Review time! I've very grateful for all the reviews I received on the chapter!

Shadow-binder: ha ha! Yeah…we don't feel sorry for Karin…yet. She may be in over her head though…we'll see soon.

Dog (): Yes, in the Japanese, they are called Shinigami, but in the English dub they're called Soul Reapers…however, I am sorry for the confusion, since there has been such attention made to the fact I should call them that, I am going to from now on. I hope that makes everything flow better. ^_^

KarinKurosakiHitsugaya913: Thank you! I hope your New Year was good, and that you enjoy the chapter!

To those that recently added my story to their alerts, specifically NorthenFallenAngel, Fricai Skulkblaka, and Yuukifan001, I hope you enjoy the chapters to come!

I do not own anything from Bleach, but currently the filler anime arc isn't that bad. You should check it out!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! ENJOY THE CHAPTER!

Sincerely,

Romania Black

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

**Deceptions are best hidden  
With the Best of Intentions**

Rukia had tried to tell Karin to not worry too much, that her brother wasn't someone to be inertly afraid of, since she hadn't technically done anything wrong; Karin was quick to correct her.

"Of course I've done something wrong!" Karin countered, her face blushing as she gripped Rukia by the shoulders. "I was committed of stealing a Shinigami's powers! This is my punishment!" Suddenly the feeling of relief had vanished and instead was swelling with a new feeling of dread. She'd seen Rukia's brother, and he was not a person that instilled "relief" in her to say the least.

"Karin," Rukia tightened her own hands around hers, and gently shrugged them off her shoulders, "You may only be thirteen years old, but you are a thirteen-year-old Shinigami in training now…there is a difference in maturity that you have to accept." She stared at Karin's eyes that looked defeated, "This is no time for that, Karin." She gave Renji a sidelong glance, "Renji will make sure you're okay."

Renji huffed an agitated sigh, "Are we ready to go yet?" His head was looking to his side, not even at Rukia or Karin; a sight that simply ticked Karin off. "

She took in a gulp of air; Rukia was right. "Yeah," She smirked, despite herself, "I'm ready."

"Alright," Renji stepped behind Karin, and gripped her shoulder with his large hand, "Hang on, I'm going to flash step us there…you probably haven't experienced a lot of flash steps yet."

Karin's mind ran to an image of tangled wind-blown brunette hair, blotches of blood splattering across her eyes—

"Karin?" Rukia's grim frown was staring at her, her eyes sharp.

She rubbed her eyes, "Sorry, nothing… Renji," She looked up at the red haired man, "I've actually seen flash steps before."

"Ha," He chuckled in his deep voice, "That's what you think." Spinning a quick glance to Rukia, "…take care, Rukia." He smiled tightening his grip on Karin's shoulder and pushing her closer to him.

"Shut up," She only sighed in return. _He'd better have forgotten about that drunken incident at Ichigo's…_He thoughts were interrupted as Renji flashed out of sight, a small wisp of dust the only thing in their wake, visible from the light flooding the open Council doors. Rukia crossed her arms, her eyes turning away from the sunlight, almost out of disapproval.

Karin's hair was tossing in and out of her face as Renji held her close, the two of them blindingly flying past the Siereitei, her eyes welling with tears at the pressure. Shielding her eyes with his large hand, they touched down immediately, before Karin's feet were ready and she felt her knees instantly buckle under the sudden force of the ground. She nearly crashed to her knees, had Renji not been there to help her maintain balance.

"We're here," He announced, rather dully, as Karin looked around her. It was the courtyard of what looked like a barrack, or at least a sheltered training ground of some kind. Karin had seen feudal Japan layouts of training areas, and this one fit the bill in her eyes. The stone walls looked elegant though, the marble and hatched roofs of the tenant quarters polished and refined. The foundation itself seemed to smell of a particular cleanliness. Even the stone cobble path the Shinigami members were walking on looked well-kempt.

"Where's _here_?" Karin managed to fumble through her lips.

Renji snorted softly, "Squad Six's headquarters of course," He scoffed. "This is where a lot of your training will be held—"

"—Do not expect however," A voice loomed over Renji's, cold and filled with as much ice as the voice of Toshiro's on the soccer field. Karin felt her breath quicken, as she heard the soft footsteps approach them, "Expect to be able to enjoy the atmosphere of our Division." Byakuya Kuchiki, the illustrious Captain that Karin had seen only once before, emerged from the other side of Renji, his steel eyes staring intently down at the young Shinigami. "At least, not while your sentence is carried out."

"Captain," Renji stammered, lowering his eyes briefly in greeting.

"So," Byakuya stared down at Karin, his eyes taking in all her features. Her petite, athletic frame, pale skin, navy eyes, pitch black hair that was parted down the middle in a course straight style. Her eyebrows were etched in a permanently agitated look, much like Ichigo Kurosaki's, and her mouth had a slight downward tilt to it. Byakuya was sure that if Ichigo Kurosaki had been a pre-pubescent female when they'd first met, this would be what he would have appeared as. "You are the younger sister of Ichigo Kurosaki, no?" His voice was void of emotion.

Karin swallowed slowly. He was a lot more intimidating than her brother had led him to be, "Y-yes, Captain." She figured good graces were in order right away. "My name is Karin Kurosaki—"

"I know your name," Byakuya cut her off. "You will address me only when inquired to do so, and when you are, address me as Captain Kuchiki." His eyes were like granite boring into Karin's head. "Do not think you are getting off easy with your punishment by being assigned to become a Shinigami. It will be far more grueling than I'm sure you've anticipated. Despite your brother's precedence, you are nothing to me here." The eyes narrowed. "You were assigned to this Division strictly on my own persuasion. I will not stand by as you skate through your time here, under the wing of a lesser Captain who would let you lie down and squabble the good order we have established here." Karin felt herself shaking slightly at the knees. It was as if his spiritual pressure was urging to slam her to the ground, "So," He continued, his voice solid and stern, "You will obey my orders from here on in. Any questions, Kurosaki?"

Karin's voice was barely able to creep from her lips, "Yes, Captain Kuchiki."

"Renji," Byakuya gaze shifted to his Lieutenant, "See to it that she's shown to her quarters. Your day begins tomorrow, at dawn." The Captain tilted his foot in his step and strode away from them, solemn and as silent as the grave.

Karin couldn't feel her legs move, but she was almost certain in the daze that followed the next few minutes, she could feel Renji's hand on her shoulder, guiding her to a small room, where a cot lay in the middle of the floor, a small pile of clothing beside it.

"This is it," Renji scratched his head awkwardly. _Geez, you think the Captain could've picked a room a little less…prison-like… _"It's a little scrappy, but don't worry, you—"

He paused to see that Karin had sunk to the floor, her head buried in her knees. _Aw come on! Is the kid crying already? _But to his astonishment, she wasn't crying. She was extremely quiet, her arms gripping the outside of her knees tightly, so tight it made her knuckles white.

"It's…It's okay," Renji would have smacked himself on the forehead for such a lame attempt at comforting her. "Really…Captain's a bit of a stick in the mud when it comes to capital offenders…but, he's not so bad after awhile." _How much lamer could you sound, Renji? _He thought to himself. However, he couldn't think of anything else to say to a thirteen year old that would make sense. "It's understandable if you're scared of him…really…the first time I met him…wow, let me tell you—"

"I'm not scared."

Renji stopped mid-sentence; her words had came out of nowhere. "What?"

"I said," This time Karin lifted her head, her eyes staring hard at Renji's. The Navy blue matched the blue light filtering on the wall. Renji was a little stricken at how intense they looked. "I'm not scared of him. I didn't know what to expect earlier…but I get it now. He's going to act tough with me, because of who I am." She tightened her bottom lip as she spoke; a mannerism that Renji immediately associated with Ichigo. It was strange seeing a young woman do this same gesture.

"Ah," Renji finally replied, scratching the back of his head, sitting down beside her. "Well, it's partially because of that…true; he doesn't think much of your brother." Renji sighed, "But that's not all of it to be truthful."

Karin's eyes narrowed at him, "What do you mean?"

"Don't you get it, Karin?" Renji was closer to her face now, his dark eyes staring at her intently. "The council let you off the hook so easily it was almost ridiculous. You were one, granted entrance into the Spiritual Arts Academy; a feat that rarely happens for Rukongai souls, much less a Ryoka—"

"Ry—what?" Karin flustered.

"Intruder spirit," Renji quickly countered, "Anyway, not only were you granted that, but they said you could train with a Division and stay with them instead of in the barracks of the Spiritual Academy. It's almost unheard of to be already stationed in a Division without even entering the Academy yet."

Karin tilted her head to the side slowly, "So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying there's a reason the council is doing this!" Renji scowled, causing Karin to flinch slightly in her place. "The council obviously is going to monitor you in the Academy, and use Captain Kuchiki as a contact to update them on your progress. They probably want you within sight of a higher power superior than those at the Academy, thus why they've sent you here." Renji gripped Karin's shoulder. "You have to keep your guard up from now on. Captain was right; it's not going to be a walk in the park if that's what you think. Now you have the entire Soul Society and the Council watching you."

Karin tried to process everything he was telling her, but all the ends began to filter back to one simple conclusion.

"All because I'm _Ichigo Kurosaki's_ sister?" She said his name with a fervor that Renji hadn't heard anyone use in a while.

"Yeah. Pretty much," Renji smirked grimly. "I'm not going to sugar coat it for you." He rose to his feet slowly, Karin pressing her chin agitated against her knee.

"What am I supposed to do then?" She sighed, looking up at him.

"Grow stronger," Renji replied almost immediately, throwing Karin off. "Prove them wrong. If they're worried about you because you're Ichigo's sister, than show them how different you are. You've been given a chance to show that the apple can fall a little farther from the tree, so do it. There are people who would scrap and kill to get what you're getting. Take advantage of that…you won't be a prisoner forever." Renji smirked as he moved toward the door, "And above all else…get on the Captain's good side. If you can do that, you've already done more than your brother ever could with him."

Karin did not know the extent of how far he was joking, and how serious he was, but before he could leave her alone in her new "room," she had to know one thing. She gripped his hand as he tried to leave, causing him to look back at her with slight concern.

"Renji," She frowned, not sure how to phrase it, "Tos—Captain Hitsugaya," She caught herself involuntarily correcting his name, an act she couldn't explain but wasn't fond of, "He spoke on my behalf to Captain Izuru, who restated it to the council…do you--?" She couldn't figure out how to phrase anything else.

The Lieutenant didn't say anything at first, but the expression he bore was enough to tell Karin it was a deeper wound than she had imagined bringing upon the white-haired Captain.

"I couldn't tell you," He said slowly. "But, I will say that Captain Izuru and I both were accomplices with Momo when we were training in the Academy." His words crashed over Karin. She had no clue that both of them were tied to her in that sense. "Don't worry," Renji quickly added, seeing the worry scatter over her face, "both Izuru and I share our belief that it wasn't your fault. You don't realize how deep Momo's problems ran." His eyes shifted, "However…Captain Hitsugaya was on a completely different level of…relationship…with her." Karin felt the darkness pouring over his words. "It would be best…it would be best Karin, if you didn't see him anytime soon."

The door shut quietly, but to Karin it felt like a three ton weight had been rolled over the doorway, blocking her from the outside world. There was a window, but it didn't save her from feeling isolated, now more than ever.

In the silence, she couldn't hear anything but the sound of her breaths. They were sharp and quick, but rhythmic, and none too different than those she had heard from a dying Lieutenant Hinamori what seemed like only minutes ago.

**Next Chapter up soon! I'm excited for it…we haven't seen Toshiro in a while, have we?**

**Happy New Years,**

**Romania Black**

**EXTRA:**

**I haven't plugged any stories so far on here, but I read a story the other night I really liked, so I figure'd I'd tell you about it. "Family Extended" is an Ichihime fic…if you like Ichihime, DEFINITELY check it out…it's got some Rukia/Renji too. As I see more fics, I'll let you know. I don't like to flaunt which couples I like over others, and am pretty accepting of any shipping, but as I find fics I like I'll post them on here! **


	25. Hidden Desires

Hello!

Thank you, Shadow-binder and KarinKurosakiHitsugaya913 for the reviews! I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I hope this is a fast enough update!  
Haha, this chapter literally came in a few hours…  
It's a very…interesting…chapter, but it turned out exactly as I wanted it to. RATED T for TEEN for a Reason!

I do not own anything from Bleach, but currently the filler anime arc isn't that bad. You should check it out!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! ENJOY THE CHAPTER!

Sincerely,

Romania Black

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

**Why didn't I smother you when I had the chance?**

It was pure luck and remembrance that had led him there. Had Matsumoto had the party she was planning on having the night before last, it would have been impossible for Toshiro to have found the bottles as he had. Luckily, for him anyway, the party she had planned was met with a last minute cancellation when Hisagi had grown ill. Call it fate or sheer dumb luck, but the Captain of the Tenth Division wasn't about to let another Captain's illness get in the way of this.

Rangiku was outside his office door, her hand gently hesitating before knocking. "Captain…?"

"What?" Toshiro snapped loudly, his hand fumbling to keep a grip on the cabinet door.

"I—I was just wondering if you needed…anything," Her words were muffled by the door in between them, but the tenderness in her voice was still able to reach him. And it pissed him off. Now more than ever.

"No," He barked back coldly, almost a growl. "I'm fine. I'd…I'd like to be alone, if that's possible, Matsumoto." He rarely asked her to leave him alone when she asked to be company, but right now he didn't want her there with him. He didn't want _anyone_ with him.

"Oh no, that's fine," She replied instantly, as if an autonomous response, "I understand…I…I'll just go ahead and run the paperwork through…call me if you need anything Captain." Her voice cut short and her footsteps grew farther and farther away. The Captain double checked her spiritual pressure fading before diving back into the liquor cabinet underneath his desk.

_She's doing the paper work ahead of schedule? _He lifted three bottles of sake from the cabinet, all seeming to be fairly full. He rose to his feet, _how pathetic does someone have to get for there to get work done around here? _Without answering himself, he uncorked the first bottle and stared at it, the shiny porcelain gleaming in the moonlight from the closed window next to his desk.

Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya almost never drank. In fact, he could count on one hand the number of times he'd taken a drink, it never was his function. But now, the weight of what—who he'd lost was gripping his heart so heavy, he wanted to take his mind off of it…_her_…and by any means necessary. He couldn't take this now…how could he have ever taken it?

_Damn…_

Toshiro lifted the bottle to his lips, and let the sake slide down his throat effortlessly.

The first bottle crashed to the desk top a half hour after it had been opened. The second within the hour; by the time the third bottle was finished, Toshiro could barely make out the blurry edges of the desk against the moonlight, the lamp's dull glow not offering him any assistance. She wasn't on his mind now though. No, his thoughts were mainly focused on how to make it to his bed, and then they for a moment fumbled to whether Matsumoto had actually completed the paperwork. His drunken mind didn't stay focused on her too long though. It didn't focus on _her_ either…

_"Toshiro! Shiro-Chan!" Momo's head spun around to greet him, her brunette hair flying in the wind, free of its usual bun. She gave him a huge grin, her white teeth sparkling. "Shiro-Chan! Aren't you happy to see me?"_

_"Stupid bed wetter," Toshiro grimaced, as Momo wrapped her arms around his neck, tugging him closer, "As if I'd be happy to see you!" He smugly tried to wrangle free of her grip, but to no avail._

_"Ha, silly Shiro," Momo smiled serenely, her soft eyes framed by her billowing hair._

Toshiro slowly opened his eyes as her words hung in the air, a sharp giggle,

"_Toshiro! You can't lie to me!"_

The words echoed in his mind, which suddenly ached, and Toshiro realized he was still dizzy after opening his eyes. He fumbled in his sheets, draped over his lean pale chest thinly. He loved being cold and detested being too warm. _Eh, _He gripped the side of his head, _Am I still drunk? Eh… _He rested his head on his elbow, cradled in his pillows. The dark aqua sheets were pressed tightly to him, but there was suddenly a cold chilled breeze in the air. Toshiro checked the windows with his eyes from his position in bed. _They…look…shutting…but Damn it, I can't really tell…I…_ He knew he was still intoxicated when he couldn't make out if the window was closed or not, but he definitely knew he must still be drunk when he saw _her_ at the edge of his bed.

At first he thought it was merely a hallucination, a trick of his mind, the drunkenness lingering on his lips, still stuck in his brain. But illusion or not, there she was, at the foot of his bed.

Momo, standing at his feet in a white silk robe; the same he'd seen her die in while in the World of the Living. She was no longer covered in blood though, and her hair looked sleek down her sides. Toshiro gripped the sheets beside him, not in terror, but in confusion.

"Mo...Mo…" Toshiro whispered.

She grinned, Damn him, the illusion grinned back at him! Her eyes were dancing in the moonlight.

"Toshiro," She murmured, as ghostly as anything. It was her smile, her hair, her eyes…

"Are you…really Momo?" Toshiro drunkenly asked, placing a hand near his mouth, as to see how numb he was. He couldn't feel his face…usually not a good sign.

"Am I?" She whispered softer now, and to Toshiro's great surprise, climbed onto the bed.

Gasping, Toshiro immediately drew his legs towards him, his eyes wide in shock, gripping the covers nearer to him. She slowly glided down the bed though, her fingers weaving the folds in the sheets, ivory skin on cotton, and her chocolate eyes gleaming at Toshiro. A captain in his normal functioning mind would have simply crawled out of bed and away from the hallucination/ghost. However, Toshiro was still inebriated, and at this point was starting to wane from his dignified and reclusive self to…something different.

She had placed herself above him now, on her knees she had them straddling his legs, which were bunched in almost a ball near his waist. Her arms silkily crept up Toshiro's and he felt his skin shiver beneath their unexpected warmth.

"Momo…I…" She placed a finger to his lips, silencing him.

"Don't. Say. Another word." She mused so quietly into his ear it was like an invitation that he couldn't refuse.

He gripped her arms and slowly stretched out his legs under her, so she wasn't straddling a tangle of legs now. He felt his lips magnetized towards her neck and began to caress her skin with his mouth, inhaling her scent, a faint lilac. His hands in her hair, he tugged and tugged her mouth to connect with his, breathing quickening; he stole a quick glance at her face. She was looking at him with utmost passion, her navy eyes flashing in the moonlight.

_Navy? _Toshiro rolled on top of her, moving her beneath him, his hands running up her side, the cool silk begging him to unwrap. She was kissing his chin, her lips moving down as he curled his fingers in her black hair.

_Black…hair…_

Toshiro broke away from the moment, his body rising up, stretching above her, as he looked down upon the woman that lay waiting beneath him, ready to be taken by him. Her body was that of an adult, ripened, mature. Perfectly bathed in moonlight. But her face…blame the drunkenness, but Toshiro couldn't make out her face in the darkness.

"Momo," Toshiro stumbled in the bed, leaning towards the lamp on his nightstand, "Hold on, I can't see your face…"

The lamp flickered on, and Toshiro turned toward the woman lying beside him.

An adult Karin Kurosaki grinned back murderously.

"_**Ahhh!"**_

Toshiro was upright stricken in bed, the sweat clinging every hair to his cheeks and forehead. He was panting out of control, his heart pumping and thumping wildly in his chest. Then…there was silence.

He looked around quickly, first at the lamp beside him that was turned off, then at his own body. He was wrapped in his dark aqua sheets, the moonlight soaking his body on the bed. He looked around; not a soul or single presence was near him. The clock on the desk near him read three a.m. Toshiro let out a dry sob, wrapping his head in his hands.

_A dream…_

Toshiro gripped the side of his head with his palms, his face cold and dripping wet. _Was all of that…a dream…?_ The image was still fresh in his mind. He shook his head violently, his entire body shuddering. _No…_

He threw off the covers and stumbled to the table where the remaining sake lay. He checked the three bottles lying in front of him. Two of them were completely empty; the third still had a third of its bottle left. Toshiro gripped the third container and walked to the bathroom. Staggering to steady himself against the marble countertop, he poured the remainder of the bottle into the sink, the liquid slowly seeping down the drain.

His body slowly crumpled out of the bathroom and back into bed, falling against the thin sheets, mind going black as the hair he'd wrapped his fingers through in his mind.

_**I hope that you liked this little "scene" with Toshiro…next chapter, Toshiro visits a newly appointed Shinigami, and that 'certain' Shinigami starts the academy! **_

_**Any cameos you want to see? Let me know! **_

_**Thank you so much for your support!**_

_**Romania Black**_


	26. Feet and Folly

Hello!

It's not that I don't like school…it's just that two things occur because of it: 1. No time to write and 2. I'm so focused on school that I get writer's block. Ugh. BUT, having the weekend off for the first time in weeks, I'm going to release TWO chapters this weekend! YAY!

I hope that somewhat makes up for my lack of writing…that said,

I've had so much positive feedback on the last chapter!!! I couldn't believe it!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! You really made my day for that.

Special Thanks to Roshana, histukarin16, ticking-clocks8, sincerely-MissJ, theloverofanime, thunderclaw03, little lilac lady, avengedromantic, lonelyasura, KarinKurosakiHitsugaya913, and shadow-binder! I appreciated your reviews SO MUCH! ^_^ I hope to hear more from you as the story goes on…especially if you do or don't like the choices I'm making. You inspire a lot of the story!

I do not own anything from Bleach, but I wish I could co-write it with Tite Kubo!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! ENJOY THE CHAPTER!

Sincerely,  
Romania Black

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

**What is learned one day  
is soon forgotten the next**

Karin could feel the sunlight on her skin; it was a warming effect, the rays scintillating her flesh. It was only her left arm, which was facing the window. She slowly slid the sheets over her arm, and tried to roll away from the light. _It can't be morning; _she groaned, _there's no way—_

There was suddenly a gentle poke on her cheek. It felt cold and firm, but had a sharpened end. There was also an odd odor that surrounded this object. Karin, slightly disturbed by the unknown nature of what was touching her, opened her eyes suddenly, and stared up.

A pale foot with an equally pale toenail glared at her.

"ACK!" Karin jumped back in shock. The pale foot was connected to a body wearing a billowy white kimono embroidered with pink and green pastel flowers. The wearer of this scantily chosen attire stared at her with an almost bored expression,

"Ah, come off it, it's just a foot," Renji furrowed his eyebrows irritated.

"Just a foot?" Karin snapped incredulously, "Your foot happens to be disgusting! Who shoves a foot in someone's face?"

Renji sighed, "Well I could have thrown some blunt object at you," He smirked, "Or leaned in your face to wake you up."

The image of Renji's face inches from hers, red hair falling on her neck, was not one she instantly imagined as a '_good morning'_ ritual. "No thank you," She huffed annoyed and drew the covers closer to her chest.

"Quit your whining," Renji scolded giving her a nudge with his foot, his arms crossed at his chest, "You're already going to be late at this rate for classes."

"What?" Karin suddenly realized where she was and the reality of his words sank in. _Oh yeah, you're a Shinigami…_

"I said," Renji repeated, a small vein showing on his forehead, crawling from under the white bandana, "You're going to be late for your first class at the Spiritual Academy if you don't get up and get ready. Captain Kuchiki sent me to remind you," Renji clearly didn't like the idea of being a messenger, "so you wouldn't be late."

Karin had hopped out of her cot and was fumbling for her black robe to throw over the white one she was wearing. She was glad that she'd wore the white robe to bed, especially with Renji standing there watching her frantically throwing on her clothes.

"Why does he care if I'm late or not?" She grumbled, trying to tie the sash around her waist.

"What are you saying?" Renji huffed, "You're under the Captain's care. He's a pretty proud guy, and you being late to class would be a disgrace to his oath to watch over you."

Karin stopped in her tracks, "Wait—oath?" She narrowed her eyes at Renji; something he said didn't sound right. "What oath?"

Renji involuntarily coughed loudly, and Karin guessed he had realized he'd said too much.

"It's," He hesitated, "You're going to be late." He cut himself off.

"No, don't do that!" Karin felt her face flush, as she slid on her shoes and tied the tops, "You were about to say something! I know it."

"I was about to say," Renji turned to the door, "That there's a map to the academy on the floor by the door," He motioned to a piece of parchment lying a few feet from them, "It'll be a long way from here, so you need to hurry."

Karin knew at that moment Renji wasn't going to tell her anything more, but she still was ticked off that he was being so secretive. She tossed her hair behind her shoulder and grabbed the parchment as she ran out the door, Renji closing it behind her as he stepped out behind.

"Whatever," She yelled to him, running off towards the exit of the barracks, "You're telling me later though, Renji!" And she turned the corner to leave him standing at her door.

Renji sighed, rubbing his forehead with slight agitation and relief. _I'm going to have to be careful what I say, _he silently observed, the corners of his mouth almost daring a smirk, _she's a lot brighter than Ichigo…_

By the third class, Karin was exhausted.

She had managed to show up right before the first class began, but only by running as fast as her soul could carry her, her eyes darting between the map in her right hand and the path ahead. She had sped the quickest way there, through trees and rocky paths, fallen twice and skinned her knees and elbow; so when she arrived, there was blood soaking through her black robes. _I didn't think souls could bleed, _she observed with a curious amusement as she approached the Spiritual Academy gates.

It was a massive building, beautiful and sturdy, the feudal Japanese architecture fully put to use on its construction. _It looks so….academic _was the only word Karin could come up with to really describe it.

A man with a triangular hat and watery beady eyes glanced disapprovingly at her as she panted towards the front gate, her face hot and her heart pounding out of breath.

"Name?" He asked curtly. He bore a large white tablet in his grisly hands that appeared to be a book of enrollment.

"Karin….Kurosaki," she gasped, hands clutching her knees.

His eyes opened wider and he stared at her for what seemed like a whole minute, scanning her top to bottom. Karin hated this sudden interest just because of her name. "I see," He pushed a long bony finger across the pages until he arrived at what was of course her name on the page, "You were almost late today, Ms. Kurosaki--"

_No joke, Captain obvious, _Karin glared.

"—I would suggest you go down this hall to the right and grab your academic uniforms." He pointed to the long corridor behind them, "Yours will be the red ones; there are sizes of all kinds in the bin to the left—"

Karin was only half listening to him though; she was more enamored by the sight that lay before her. There were so many…students. Most of them seemed her own age, a few younger, some older; all of them in blue and red corresponding with white uniforms and what looked like wooden swords. Karin felt her hand touch the sword hidden beneath her kimono at her hip. She was glad she'd brought it, but still felt the need to conceal it, though she wasn't sure what the point was now. She was a Shinigami after all…should she have to hide her zanpaktou?

"—your first class you'll most likely be late for," The old man was still talking, and Karin realized she hadn't been listening to nearly half he had said, "but the professor should understand." He gave her an excusatory look. "You're free to go," He said, almost as if he'd expected her to take off already.

"Oh!" Karin bowed curtly and ran past him, "T-thank you!"

Karin had changed into her new uniform quickly, throwing her bloodied black robes in a heap beside the bin. She assumed she could pick them up later; no one would probably steal a blood-stained black kimono. Seeing those that changed around her, one thing was surprising: Their swords.

The women around her all had wooden or very basic looking weapons; none that were adorned with a woven crimson handle like hers, or three golden waves of metal curving around the hilt. Karin, her face feeling almost embarrassed to be holding such a superior looking weapon, turned from the others she was changing with and wrapped the sword in the white sash that had been around her waist, and tied the newly made holster at her waist, under her new red sash. This way, she could carry the sword on her, but with no one seeing it was different.

Karin bolted out of the changing room with her new red and white uniform sparkling in the sunlight creeping across the passing windows, as she ran to her first class, fully expecting the teacher to yell at her for her awkward late entrance. And, to her un-surprise, he did.

That was four hours ago.

Karin sat exhausted, leaning her head against the wall she sat beside. Her stomach was growling terribly, and she had just realized she'd brought no food to eat here. _What a smart person I am,_ Karin frowned, _Renji was right…I should have waked up early. _

The other students around her were congregated in groups and eating their lunches merrily, chatting about the classes and techniques they were learning. Karin had to admit that the Spiritual Academy was different than any other schooling she'd ever experienced.

_Kido, Bakudo, Hakudo…I can't keep up with all these new terms. _Karin felt as if all she had learned up until now had to be forgotten, to save room for the new knowledge she was acquiring.

There was suddenly a murmur amongst the crowd, with several students crowding toward a corner of the quad where Karin sat. They all were pointing and frantically looking at one another, though no one seemed to pay attention to Karin sitting by herself a few feet from them. To be honest, no one had really talked to her at this point; not that she'd expected them to though. She was new to the academy, and was certain her name would do more than provoke some to stay away from her.

"Can you see him?" One student asked, trying to peer over another's shoulder.

"Yeah," the girl in front of him whispered hurried, "It's him alright!"

"Why's he coming here?" Another boy's voice interrupted, "He never comes to the academy."

"Hush up!" A high-pitched girls' voice squealed, "He's coming around the front gate! Resume your places! Act casual!" The students clamored from their crowded position and separated, taking their places at where they had been. All of their faces were flushed and nervous, but they hid it as they attempted to resume conversation with one another. Karin didn't see what the entire hubbub was about.

The front gate of the quad opened up, and the murmurs were spread quietly as a figure walked across the area, several students taking steps back from their spots as he moved. A few students mumbled greetings, but they were silently met. Karin knew it was him before he had even come through the walkway, so it came to no surprise when he stopped in front of where she sat.

"Kur—Miss Kurosaki," Toshiro stared down at her, a blank expression on his face. He was dressed in his Captain's Hiyori, aqua sash slung across his shoulders.

Karin, despite the leaping of her heart at the sight of him not looking coldly at her, was still not about to let him off the hook for his rudeness earlier. "Fancy seeing you here," Karin leaned back against the wall, "Captain." She narrowed her eyes at him.

Several students were staring at her now, with disturbed glances. Toshiro though, had a small smirk at the corner of his mouth. "Calling me by my title for a change," He stated in an arrogant voice, "what am I to think?"

"Think what you want," Karin sneered, crossing her arms, "I have no qualms about it."

Several students were now starting open-mouthed at her blatant attitude. Toshiro glanced at her outfit, and then back at her face. He seemed to want to tell her something, but he was being held back by an unknown force.

"Humph," Toshiro huffed quietly, "I see." He glanced around them. Once again, he looked as if he wanted to talk, but was being silenced. He quickly turned his focus back to Karin, "I need you to follow me, Ms. Kurosaki," he stated with an unexpected urgency.

Karin stared dumbfounded at him, "_What_?"

"Follow me," He held out his hand and lifted her off the ground. Several students were now openly murmuring quietly, their eyes not taking a beat away from the two.

She hesitated as he tugged her hand gently, "I have class in an hour," She tried to explain.

Toshiro gave her a ghost of a grin, "I'll be enough of an excuse for you."

_**I would continue, but I don't want the chapter to be too long!  
Next chapter out tomorrow! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR REVIEWS and SUPPORT!**_

Let me know what you thought of the chapter, and I'll be talking to you all again soon!

_**Cheers,  
Romania Black**_


	27. Driven

Hello!

Wow! Thank you all so much for the quick support! I'm glad Chapter 26 was liked; I'm hoping the same is for, as promised, Chapter 27!

Thanks to those that favorited the story: alaskaruffles and shadow of the fire.  
Also, SPECIAL thanks to reviewers Theloverofanime and theblueturtle6! Haha your reviews were really great! ^_^

I do not own anything from Bleach, but I wish I could co-write it with Tite Kubo!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! ENJOY THE CHAPTER!

Sincerely,  
Romania Black

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

**Dance the Dotted Line  
Between Destiny and Danger**

Toshiro led Karin outside the Spiritual Academy and walked towards the Rukongai where Karin had originally came to the Soul Society from, his steps swift but not too hurried. Karin was under the impression that he was attempting to not look obvious or hasty in dragging her from her studies. They were now under the coverage of the trees, their faces shaded by the towering green leaves.

"What's this about, T—Captain?" Karin didn't feel comfortable calling him by his actual name; she felt that would let him off the hook for his stunning behavior towards her.

"To be honest," Toshiro sighed, "I just felt I couldn't actually talk to you amongst all those students." He trained his teal eyes upon her, who was starting dumbfounded. "They were listening to see what a captain would say to you, and I didn't feel comfortable just standing there."

"And what would you have said to me?" Karin crossed her arms, still a little surprised by his actions.

Toshiro sighed slightly, lowering his head, so that Karin could see the sun gleam on every white strand of hair. He was attempting, unbeknownst to her, to drive the memory of his late night dream from his mind as he replied.

"I'm not sure," he said bluntly, "How…are things?"

Karin was certain that someone had replaced Toshiro and chucked his body off a cliff. "Are you Captain Hitsugaya for real?"

"It was a simple question," Toshiro snapped, his eyes growing furious.

"Ah," Karin grinned, "There we go." She moved her foot a little in the dust, "It's…okay. I'm in the 6th Division's barracks at night…which apparently is unusual."

"It is," Toshiro nodded grimly, "Quite…unusual." He was suddenly looking down at her legs, an expression of concern etched on her face that she had definitely seen before. "You're bleeding," he observed.

Karin looked down and saw her injuries were returning, bloody spots on her knees soaking through the white kimono. "Oh yeah," Karin smiled slightly, "I was late, and, uh, kind of fell while running to class this morning." Toshiro was giving her a rather appalled look of disbelief, "It's no big deal. I'm fine."

Toshiro gave her a look that suggested otherwise. "You must have worried your family to death," He sighed, unimpressed.

"What?" Karin glared, "We always had to worry about Ichigo! He was the cause of," She suddenly paused; this was the first time she'd really thought about him since he had left, "…of a lot of worry." She glanced away; not being able to see her family bore down on her heart in that moment more than it had before.

Toshiro must have realized this too, because he quickly changed the subject, "How do you like the academy so far?"

"I guess classes are okay too," Karin continued without a beat, "Although no one else seems to have a sword like mine, no matter where I look."

Toshiro's head lifted up suddenly, his eyes widened, "You mean your zanpaktou?"

"Yeah," Karin clutched the bandaged sword and lifted it out of her sash, unraveling the white cloth wrapped around the blade. The cloth slipped away to reveal the crimson hilt; Toshiro eyed it with mixed curiosity and concern. "See?" The look of blankness on his face seemed a bad sign to Karin, "Why's it different than everyone else's?"

The Captain didn't reply instantly, but rubbed his hand to his forehead, as if thinking silently to himself. "It's probably nothing," he replied after what seemed several minutes.

"_Probably_?!" Karin's face was growing redder. "This is stupid! Why does everyone try and hide information from me? You, Captain Kuchiki, Renji, Ichigo—everyone wants me to just be happy knowing nothing about the world around me, when I'm the one they're using for their own means—"

Toshiro's eyes widened, "Wait, what are you talking about?"

"—I don't know!" Karin burst, not wanting to answer any of his questions, not wanting to even see his face. "Why did you come here, Captain? To tease me? I _know_ I'm in over my head! I knew that from the start—" She was inches from his face now, her flushed face and eyes boring into his calm ones; she wanted him to get yelled at for once, to understand her frustration, "—I _know_ I'm getting off easy too! I don't need people to tell me! I just—I just want to be treated _fairly_ for once! Is that so much to ask? I get that you're upset, I would be too; it's just—"

Toshiro had taken her head and cradled it into his shoulder, her mouth muffled by the cloth of his Hiyori. There was an unexpected silence between them; only the ruffles of the leaves gently swaying above them.

"You are," He whispered softly, in a voice that Karin had never heard before, "in _far_ over your head." His hand was now on her head, cupping the back of her neck against his shoulder. She could smell his skin she was so close to him; _he smelled of…was it spearmint? No._ But she couldn't exactly place the minty scent.

She felt her heart pounding start to slow, "Toshiro…" She tried to say in a muffled voice.

"Don't think I've gotten over…," His voice was harsher, but not as cold as before, his eyes looking straight ahead, "I still haven't forgiven you."

Karin could have seen the line coming a mile away, but it still stabbed her nonetheless.

"But you can't be walking around with these crazy thoughts in your head." He sighed in a defeated manner, "True, this is most unusual for the council to do, but you can't let yourself get immersed in such ideas—you'll go mad trying to figure everything out yourself."

Karin lifted her head from his shoulder and stared into his teal eyes. _What was he saying?_

"I'm going to help get to the bottom of why the council is behaving this way," He declared, his face solemn, _I owe it to her…she'd want me to help you, even though I--_"But in the meantime, you have to promise me you won't overreact like you just did. The Soul Society won't tolerate it," He paused, his eyes gleaming, "_I_ won't tolerate it."

And Karin knew he meant it; "Fine," She whispered. _Toshiro…why are you helping me if you obviously can't stand being here with me talking right now? Why put yourself through anything else?_

It was in that moment Karin realized her hand was clasped in Toshiro's, his hand grasping it loosely. The two simultaneously noticed the gesture and drew their hands apart; Karin's crossing at her chest and Toshiro's hanging at her side. The silence was still drawn out between them.

"You'd better return to your classes," Toshiro muttered, looking away from her.

"Yeah," Karin shuddered as a cold breeze slipped across her shoulders. "Toshiro…"

The Captain glanced towards her, "What?"

Karin felt her cheeks grow hot, "Thank you…for visiting me."

He stared at her for a moment, not really knowing what to say. He took in her petite, childish appearance, her collar-bone length black hair. She looked somewhat older than she was, odd as it seemed. Then the image of her adult murderous smile flashed across his mind and he withdrew his glance immediately.

"Don't think anything of it," He replied, almost sourly, walking past her.

There was a rustle of dust and leaves, and then Karin couldn't detect him anymore. She turned towards the academy, her eyes feeling dry and irritated. She wiped her face with her arm. Through the brush she could see students walking back inside; Toshiro hadn't kept her longer than the hour she had off.

_Don't think anything of it…_She repeated his words softly in her mind. _Funny…" _she mused to herself, walking back to class, _I shouldn't…but why is it that I can't think of anything but that?_

_**Well, **_

_**I hope the relationship between Toshiro and Karin is realistic for Bleach…not too much at once, if you know what I mean. Well, if not, let me know what you'd like to see!**_

_**Thank you so much for your support!**_

_**Cheers,**_

_**Romania Black**_


	28. Three Kinds of Notice

Hello friends and readers. 3 notes:

1. first off an apology for a four-month wait. The first three months of such wait were some of the busiest I've ever had, but the last month has been sheer writer's block coupled with summer.

Ugh.

Please forgive me, I really don't deserve the amazing support I've received for this story!

2. On an up-note, like my other story I'm simultaneously working on, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Pirate's Pearl" (check it out if you're into Pirates of the Caribbean), I'm planning on updating 2 chapters a week now. That may sound crazy, but I'm challenging myself with it. So there's that!

and

3. MANY MANY _MANY _thanks to the following:**theblueturtle6, coolprettyangel2006, *A.s.T.e.R.i.S.k*, KarinKurosakiHitsugaya913 **(You actually gave me a great idea for this chapter! THANKS!), **Whispering to the Winds, fashionfreak94, Ulfric-Wolf, LonelyDreamer90, NitroCircus1021, V.S., STARKALINEKAY** (The Love triangle idea is interesting, as is Kenpachi showing up! bwahaha...we'll see...), and **theloverofanime **(SO many cool suggestions! Some of them are DEFINITELY going into the story...including one this chapter!)

Enough of my prattle! Enjoy the upcoming chapters! (and don't hesitate with any comments/ideas! They are MORE than helpful.)

-Romania Black

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

**Thoughts meandering like butterflies,  
Capable of going anywhere  
Incapable of carrying anything  
But themselves.**

Karin was hoping that the students would take no notice of her as she passed through the gates back into the courtyard. Of course, that would be asking for them all to be blind, or deaf. They had clearly heard Toshiro ask her to follow him.

Alone.

To the woods.

For an extended period of time.

A student with bleach blonde pigtails whispered to a brunette shinigami beside her, "I wonder what they were _talking _about?"

The brunette shook her shoulder-length hair with a shiver, "Who knows, but what a _Captain _would see in her-"

She could have strangled him for putting her through this.

"He doesn't see _anything _in _me_!" Karin shouted, perhaps a little louder than usual, and not to anyone in particular. She expected the two girls' sentiments were mutual amongst the crowd. She let out a heavy, flustered sigh, and stormed past all of them, not bothering to even glance at any of the silent faces staring at her. She threw open the doors and joined the massive crowd walking and chit-chatting incoherently as they moved towards their respective classrooms. Without bothering to watch where she was going, she instinctively turned right in the hall to walk to her next class-

"Oh!"

-and immediately collided with another person.

Karin backed up in surprise, throwing herself out of her angry daze. The shinigami she'd ran into gave a small huff and bent over to pick up the navy textbook that had fallen to the floor.

If it was possible, this shinigami was a hair shorter than Karin. A woman Shinigami, she wore a basic kimono that was embellished with a mustard yellow sash instead of the typical white. A gold chain with three similarly crafted beads strung across the sash's front instead of a tie, and attached was a golden sheath, where her zanpaktou was resting soundly. Her petite frame was illuminated by her rounded face, large hazel eyes looking at Karin, framed by a mass of strawberry blonde hair that was clumped with bobby pins into spirals and twirls. It looked like a giant bird's nest situated on her small head.

"Wow," The shinigami smiled brightly, "You certainly are in a hurry!" Her voice was very cheerful, "What classroom are you heading to?"

Something about her unusual appearance made Karin suspect that despite her diminuitive size, she carried some importance, moreso than any other student she'd seen so far.

"Uhm, room," She immediately reached for her schedule in the pocket of her robes, "243B."

The bird's nest shinigami laughed, "Ah! Well no worries, class hasn't started yet."

Karin sighed with slight relief, "Ah, the teacher hasn't shown up?" Tardiness was usually the first sign for a poor teacher in Karin's eyes.

The shinigami smirked grimly, "Well, she's talking to you right now, so I suppose not."

Karin felt the color drain from her face.

"I'm so sorry," She replied quickly, feeling the red trickle back to her cheeks.

This caused the shinigami teacher to laugh out loud, shaking a hand in front of her face dismissively, "Oh stop! I was just teasing!" She smirked, "Get to class, I'll be right behind you." She motioned past her to the doorway of what Karin assumed was the classroom.

There was no telling her twice.

The Shinigami teacher's name was Kamaguchi, or at least that was her surname. Everyone in the class referred to her as Madame Kamaguchi, or Kamaguchi-sama. Karin could only guess as to her first name, but called her Madame Kamaguchi in the meantime. She taught, of all things, Soul Reaper combat.

"Roll call!" The instructor called out happily, clipboard on her lap as she sat in an empty seat separate the students'. Karin couldn't remember seeing anyone look so consistantly happy.

She went down the list, each student raising their hand and saying 'here'. Karin could already tell it was her name next. Kamaguchi's face didn't leave the clipboard, "Kurosaki, Karin?"

Luckily, none of the students seemed to care who she was. Karin raised her hand and said in as mild a voice as she could muster, "Here."

The teacher glanecd quickly from her clipboard to Karin's face, then returned as if nothing extraordinary had just occurred. Karin was ever-more thankful for this. She'd had more than enough attention thrown at her today.

To be honest, Karin would never have pictured the petite shinigami responsible for teaching battle tactics to students. To her, she looked basically harmless.

Towards the end of class though, Kamaguchi apparently disagreed. "Looks are deceptive," the thin teacher smiled as she paced the classroom, "You shouldn't judge your opponent based on appearance alone." She gave the group an overcast glance, her smile fading as she narrowed on a male student in the front of the classroom. "You for instance," She nodded to him, "You seem to have some disagreement to this notion, don't you, Mr.-?"

"Nohara," The boy said in a smug voice. His arm was propped up on his elbow, cradling his face in a bored expression.

"Yes, Mr. Nohara here seems to not appreciate my gravity as teacher of this course," Kamaguchi tilted her head towards the boy shinigami, who didn't deny the accusation.

"Well, no offense Madame Kamaguchi, but you don't look like the type who could inflict a lot of damage to a guy." He smirked and most of the class snickered. Karin was eager to hear her response.

"Oh?" She smiled serenely.

"Well, yeah," Nohara crossed his arms at chest-length, "I'm a third-year here at the academy, and I've had other combat teachers who looked a lot more threatening and gave a higher spiritual pressure register than you." Kamaguchi's eyes widened slightly. "So yeah," he added, "I don't consider you much of an opponent really." The class took a collective intake of breath.

The teacher smiled, but it was less of a cheerful grin as it was a thoughtful gesture. "I see," She nodded her head, "So you think you could take me out in a fight?"

The class grew silent. The shinigami Nohara withdrew his smirk, "What?"

"Come up here, Shinigami in training," She motioned him out of his seat with her wrist and stood away from the class, rolling the movable chalk board towards the door. "Let's test your theory."

A hushed murmur spread like fire through the class; Karin was on the edge of her seat, staring intently ahead. Nohara swaggered to the front of the class, his lean frame swaying with an arrogant stride. Several girls in the classroom giggled. Karin thought he looked like an idiot. Madame Kamaguchi gave no inclination of her opinion as she stood beside him.

"Alright then," She said more cheerfully. "Take out your zanpaktou."

Nohara pulled out his sword, a silver katana that beared no resemblence to the other students'. Her eyes widened. _I'm not the only one with a sword that's different!_ The class seemed to have taken an interest similar to Karin's. Kamaguchi grinned,

"Mr. Nohara is a third year here at the academy, and halfway done with his training. As such, he has already learned to call his zanpaktou." She gave a short, in a fashion Karin was certain was mocking, applause to him. Nohara frowned. A few of the other classmates absent-mindedly clapped as well.

Karin's mind was in a whirl. _Call his zanpaktou? What does that mean?_

"Yes, yes," Kamaguchi continued, "Nohara is here because he has surpassed training with his prior two instructors. If you please Mr. Nohara, is it possible for you to call out the powers of your zanpaktou within this classroom?"

Nohara's eyes widened. "Uh-yeah, I can." He seemed stunned.

"I mean to say, will your zanpaktou's abilities endanger anyone in this classroom? Or the classroom itself?" She offered.

The male shinigami smirked smugly, "Well, it'll endanger you."

The class went wild with laughter. Madame Kamaguchi only smiled broader.

"Good! Then call it out," She told him, stepping back a few paces.

Nohara wasted no time. "Fine. Encase, Izumimaru!"

The silver katana suddenly lost all of its structure, melting into hundreds of metallic vines. The vines slithered like snakes, and oozed onto the floor. It appeared as if Nohara was holding a bunch of whips in his hand at once. The class was murmuring louder to each other.

"Excellent!" Kamaguchi exclaimed. "Now, I want you to try and subdue me."

Nohara tilted his head a little, "You're not going to withdraw your sword?"

"Just try and overpower me, to where I can't move." She instructed, "Let me decide when I'll draw my sword." She added with a touch of threat to her sweet voice.

"Have it your way," Nohara grinned and threw his arm forward.

Izumimaru worked like a fluid whip, the silver thin tentacles rushing like water forward, to wrap around Kamaguchi. The instructor stood so still as the vines flew towards her that Karin wanted to scream out for her to move, before she was captured in its grasp.

And in a flash Kamaguchi was on the other side of Nohara.

"What the-?" He immediately twisted around, the vines following his motion and moving in reverse, but she'd already retreated to the air, and was above him, ready to crash down upon him. He waved his arm forward and the vines flew into the air, but missed her by a hair. She was already on the ground, ready to spring towards him.

_She's...so fast! _Karin stared awestruck.

Nohara backed away and slung his arms down, the vines crashing in the same fashion. This time, Kamaguchi didn't move. She stood firm, as the silver whips coiled around her small frame like dozens of snakes. The class was on the edge of its seat, not sure whether to applaud Nohara yet.

"I caught you," He flashed his teeth.

"Oh, did you?"

She flashed hers in return and with a quick SNAP! She had drawn her blade from its sheath and shattered the coils around her. Nohara stared flabbergasted as his sword's blade splintered into a million metallic toothpicks falling to the ground.

The class roared with applause.

"That was a great attempt, Mr. Nohara," The teacher patted him on the shoulder, blowing a silver sliver off her shoulder. "You may take your seat."

The class was still clapping as Nohara, face red with embarassment at his loss, slumped back to his seat. Karin sank slowly back into her seat.

_She didn't even call out her sword to break his, _she thought in awe, _And I know she stopped to LET him catch her...she could have easily kept out-maneuvering him. _

"That's all for class today," Kamaguchi smiled gleefully, "Class is dismissed."

Nohara was out the door first, students following quickly behind. Karin gathered they'd want to chat with him about the skirmish. Karin headed to join them, though she had no interest in questioning Nohara, when a hand reached out and grasped her wrist. Karin froze.

It was Madame Kamaguchi.

"Karin," She said cheerfully, "Do you have any classes right now?"

She was sure it took her a good minute to answer, "Uhm, two more and then I'm done for today."

"I see," Kamaguchi grinned, "Would you care to meet me back here afterwards? I'd love to chat with you before you went home."

There was obviously no other answer Karin could give. "Of-of course."

**Wow, that chapter was longer than I thought! **

**I hope you like the new OC's I introduced this chapter. Feel free to send any ideas or suggestions! Thank you all for being supportive of the story! **

**Romania Black**


	29. Unlikely Proposition

So, Chapter 29 is here! I was having some writing block on how to address these next couple of chapters, because I want to bring Toshiro back into the mix certainly, and also bring a few other characters back. (from suggestions I've heard from readers...Ichigo? Yuzu? Kenpachi? 0_o) I want to do the story right by what I want for it, but also to appease you all too. haha, so I think I've figured out how to do it, it's just going to take a few chapters to get it down. Please be patient.

Also, I'm glad everyone's liking Ms. Kamaguchi so far. She's an OC for Bleach I've wanted to use in a story for a long time; I'm glad she's getting screen time now. Also, some have said she looks/sounds familiar. She's not Yoruichi (though she does have connections to her, as you'll find out in the upcoming chapters) and she does look sort of like Hiyori, only prettier ;) I'll try to get a picture of her done and posted to deviantArt so you can see what I think she should look like.

Special thanks as always to YOU, my readers! To **misskarolinax, ****A.s.T.e.R.i.S.k, theloverofanime, Turtle-chan in Blue, Tobunosora Jiyuukai, and RogueSama **(I'll try to keep the chapters up soon after each other so you won't run out of ones to read!) Many thanks especially to the reviewers of my last chapter (I LOVED all your ideas! Keep them coming! Hopefully some of your questions will get answered soon enough).

Anyway, on with the chapter! Happy (belated) Father's Day!

-Romania Black

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

**In a sea of looking  
found is a sea of knowing**

Karin's two classes went unexpectedly quicker than she had thought they would. She couldn't exactly focus on the kido information the instructor, a balding man with beady black eyes, was telling her along with the class; her mind was more focused on Ms. Kamaguchi.

And the fact that she was walking her home.

Kamaguchi was waiting outside the classroom, her arms crossed at her chest, but a very serene, joyous look on her face. Karin wondered if she knew how to frown or not.

"I just remembered," the instructor smiled broadly, "I have no idea where you live."

Karin stared at her, "Are you for real?"

"What?" Kamaguchi blinked.

"Uh, nothing," Karin stammered, "Follow me."

Her teacher nodded her head, "Certainly."

Karin led her outside the main building. _This woman's insane...I can't tell if she's just faking being that oblivious to everything or what...why is she walking me home?_

"Um, I don't actually live here at the Academy," Karin tried to explain, "I'm actually staying somewhere else," She eyed her instructor, hoping it was sinking in, "Not here."

"I gathered that when I saw you this morning," Kamaguchi grinned.

Karin nearly stopped walking mid-step. "What? When did you see me?" She had never seen her teacher until that moment before class.

"I passed you in the uniform room, don't you recall?" Her teacher tilted her head suggestively, "You weren't paying attention, were you?"

"I-I-" Karin hadn't noticed her at all. Pink crept across her cheeks.

"It's no problem, you were certainly busy," Kamaguchi waved her hand casually in the air. "I wouldn't have expected you to notice me." She flipped a chunk of her strawberry blonde hair behind her ear. "I did see you running up to the Academy though. You looked out of breath," she noted.

"Yeah, I kind of had a long way to run," Karin scratched the back of her head, suddenly realizing that the gesture was something her brother did constantly when he seemed nervous. Wondering if Kamaguchi could pick up on this, she instantly stopped, but was still intrigued that she had mimicked her brother. The very idea made her stomach lurch slightly; she realized she actually missed the idiot.

"Something wrong?" Kamaguchi smiled serenely.

"No, no," Karin tried to laugh it off.

"Where are you staying at then," the instructor continued, "if it's so far away?"

Karin figured she could tell her; she was an instructor after all. "The Sixth Division."

Kamaguchi's eyes flickered, then her face burst into the largest smile Karin'd ever seen. "Byakuya's division?" She roared, "No kidding?" She continued to laugh through the question.

But Karin was certain her large smile and uproar of laughter was to hide her surprise. She was too used to seeing Ichigo do the same gesture, and was now sure that no matter how cheerful the instructor seemed, this was the same move.

"You know Captain Kuchiki?" Though this seemed like a ridiculous inquiry to Karin. Of course an instructor at the Gotei 13 Academy would know him.

"Oh yes," Kamaguchi settled down, still giggling. "I've known him since I was very young." She brushed some stray strands of hair back into place in the nest on her head.

"Really?" This bit of information distracted Karin, who was now very curious to know more background information on her instructor.

"More importantly though," Apparently this information wasn't coming today. "I'm curious about your doings with Byakuya," Kamaguchi mused.

Karin froze; she had a sudden, sneaking suspicion that the reason for the show of laughter a moment before was to throw Karin off the trail. She had no doubts now that Ms. Kamaguchi had, in fact, known all along that she was staying in the 6th Division.

"Oh?" Karin tried to hide her fear, "What about it?"

Kamaguchi's smile faded ever the slightest, "Don't play dumb with me, Karin."

The breath froze in her throat.

Karin's instructor smiled graciously, "I know it's standard that new students stay at the Academy dorms, not squad barracks." Her eyes narrowed into hazel slits, "I also know that new students accepted typically don't have fully summoned zanpaktous."

Karin was dumbstruck, her eyes wide. Though they kept walking, the air around them suddenly seemed tense, as if to move too fast would trigger an explosive reaction.

"How did you-?"

"I saw you this morning remember?" Kamaguchi smiled, "In the uniform room; you were bandaging up your sword. So no one would notice I take it?" She motioned her hands to Karin's hip, where the white clothed sword hung casually.

Karin gulped, almost too audibly for her liking.

"I find it curious that a new student with the apparent reputation I've been hearing about from the higher ups and with such a sword that developed would be allowed to stay with the regular students," Madame Kamaguchi continued, her eyes now glancing at Karin with considerable suspicion.

"Look, I don't know what you're thinking, but I'm more in the dark than you!" Karin blurted out, "I just arrived here, found out I have to go to school to learn to be a Shinigami, stay with this rude and snobby Captain and his squad that doesn't even know me, be forced to not see my family, have Toshiro mad at me, and have this ridiculous sword that I don't even know how to use!"

Karin took a large breath, realizing in that instant that she may have said too much, especially about Captain Kuchiki and Toshiro, whom up until this point she'd no intention of mentioning.

But Ms. Kamaguchi regarded her with considerable understanding, her head nodding slowly as she took everything Karin said in. Whether or not any of it surprised her was unreadable.

"So," the teacher started after a moment's pause, "You've never summoned the power of your sword?"

Karin was almost taken aback that this was what she wanted to comment on first. "No," She replied, "Until I saw Nohara's sword today in class, I thought I was the only student whose sword was different."

The broad smile returned to Kamaguchi's face as she chuckled, "Oh no, you're just the only first year student I've seen here who's sword is already in its dormant zanpaktou state."

"Excuse me?" Karin tilted her head in confusion.

"Typically all students start out with a standard sword, known as a Asauchi, which has no definite shape or spirit within," Kamaguchi explained. "When they learn how to summon their zanpaktou, typically in the third or fourth year at the Academy, they cease to be Asauchi and are true Soul Reapers, true Zanpaktou." She smiled, "They can command their sword to be released and seal it when not in use," She pointed to Karin's own sword, "like yours."

"Mine's already been called?" Karin stared, "Is that what you're saying? Because that can't be true! I haven't called it out at all!" She involuntarily gripped the hilt of her katana.

"Interesting," Kamaguchi smirked, "I suppose there are exceptions to everything." She giggled and turned to look straight forward.

Karin was nearly speechless. "Wha-what? That's it? You just followed me today to ask if I'd called out my Zanpaktou?" _This is ridiculous!_

Kamaguchi didn't turn her head. "And to ask if you wanted to learn how to."

The tenseness in the air thickened to an unheard of level. Karin felt her head weigh down with the words. "What did you say?"

"You must be hard of hearing," Kamaguchi smiled, but only the hint of one. "I won't repeat myself. I'm offering to teach you how to summon your zanpaktou. I don't care that you are in the care of Captain Byakuya Kuchiki because I know very well he has no intention of teaching you anything, and if you are going to learn from someone, it had might as well be someone of experience." She eyed Karin with a look that demanded the young Shinigami's attention. "If you want to control this new found power you've received, you need to learn the basics. You're behind enough as it is," She eyed Karin over once. "All I need is your answer before we make it to the barracks, which don't look too far off." She nodded ahead of them and Karin could see the tops of the squad fencing peeking from atop the shallow hill they were crossing over.

Karin turned to her teacher, her face permanently in a pensive, stunned expression. "I-I-don't know what to say," She stammered, "I guess the proper answer would be yes."

"That would be the answer if you don't want to become a tool," Kamaguchi said matter-of-factly.

"What?" Karin stopped for the first time their entire walk, clutching her instructor's arm. "What did you say?" _Tool! She said something about me becoming a...a tool?_

"I thought I was relatively clear spoken," The teacher stared at Karin's grip.

"There you are!" A voice called out from the base of the hill. It was Renji, running towards them. Karin suddenly realized they were standing on top of the small mound of earth, in full view of everyone in the barracks. She quickly dropped her hand from Kamaguchi's arm, who looked unaffected.

"You took long enough getting back here," Renji started, his face dripping sweat as he caught his breath, strands of crimson hair stuck to his forehead. "I've been looking all over the quarters for you."

"Hello, Mr. Abarai," Ms. Kamaguchi chirped happily.

Karin thought Renji must be blind, because he jumped back nearly three feet in fright upon hearing her instructor's voice.

"_Ack_! Leta!" Renji yelped. "Err," He gave a quick glance to Karin and then back to the teacher, "I mean, Ms. Kamaguchi."

"So your name's Leta," Karin acknowledged softly, almost to herself.

"You call her Ms. Kamaguchi!" Renji objected angrily. "She's your teacher, isn't she?"

Leta laughed softly, "I see you don't forget easily, Renji. It seems like only yesterday I was teaching you to swing that ridiculously loose sword of yours." She rested her hand on her cheek as if lost in nostalgia.

Karin blinked, "You taught _him_?" _How old was this woman?_

"What's that supposed to mean?" Renji glared at Karin, but Leta interrupted him with a raise of her hand.

"Nevermind that. And it's okay, she can call me whatever she wants outside class." She crossed her arms casually, "I have to say it's my fault she's late though, so don't give her too hard a time."

Renji smirked down at Leta, who created a stark contrast in height next too him, "She been sparring with you?"

"Not yet," Leta flashed a devilish grin, "That's why I'm here. Where is your Captain?"

"I can take you to him," Renji offered, eyeing Karin and Leta with considerable curiousity.

Leta's face broke into what Karin would consider her trademark grin, "That would be fantastic."

**ahhh, so I can't wait to get this next chapter up and going. expect it early this week, if not within the next 10 hours. haha! Just a preview: Leta and Byakuya meet, and they aren't exactly the "best" of friends, plus two old friends...of Leta that is...come into play next chapter. **

**Let me know what you think of Leta by the way, and of the chapter/story itself!**

**Thanks for all the support,**

**Romania Black**


	30. More Interruptions than Answers

Holy cow! Quick update! ^_^

Okay, so First of all, **THANK YOU** for the speedy and wonderful reviews! I was beyond thrilled to see so many right after updating. Special thanks to **KKH913** (I'm glad you like Leta! Yay!), **RogueSama **(Haha! Byakuya does have...some...emotion. Um, he's just really not in a good mood right now. You'll find out why as the story goes on. That's all I can say.), **Turtle Chan-In Blue **(haha! She's not that old...you'll find out next chapter), and **theloverofanime! **(I'm so happy there are people getting fanfic accounts, and that they like the story! That's two awesome things at once!)

Second, I'm super psyched that everyone's liking Leta's character so far. **Theloverofanime** stated in her review she liked her name. I actually LOVE researching names to try and pick out the right one. (Zanpaktous are REALLY fun to come up with).

Leta means "Gladly" (which I think fits her well, eh?) and Kamaguchi in Japanese roughly translates to "Mouth of god." That last name will be better explained next chapter though.

Ah, as for THIS chapter, SO MUCH IS HAPPENING! I really thought this chapter was too long, but I didn't want to split it in two, and I think it reads fast. I hope you like it, because I LOVED writing it! Lots of twists, lots of surprised Shinigami, the usual.

Enjoy the chapter,

Romania Black

**Chapter Thirty**

**Revenge is a dish best left unserved**

Karin still couldn't get over the fact that her instructor, Leta Kamaguchi, had actually instructed Renji, and knew Captain Byakuya Kuchiki from her childhood. Leta looked in her late twenties in appearance, but she knew that she must be years, if not decades, older than that.

Renji, per Leta's request, led Karin and her to the back of the barracks to a place Karin hadn't been able to travel to yet. To her right as they walked, she could see the tower from here where she'd stayed the night before.

"Where are we going, Renji?" Karin moved faster to catch up with his long stride. Leta seemed to be bouncing alongside him effortlessly.

"The training arena," he huffed, "It's behind the sleeping quarters and Vice Captain's hall."

"Is Captain Kuchiki overseeing training?" Leta inquired cheerfully.

"Actually," Renji eyed her respectfully, "_He's_ doing the training."

Karin felt a heavy boulder sink to the bottom of her stomach. Something about the notion of Captain Kuchiki in action left her with a sick feeling in her stomach.

Leta seemed to be adversely affected. "Oooh! How Exciting!" She squealed in a voice that was sickenly sweet to Karin. "I haven't seen a Captain in action in a while now."

The trio approached two large solid wood gates, to Karin's estimates, probably around thirty feet high. Renji pressed a lever back beside one of the doors to release a chain, drawing the doors inward so they could proceed.

"I would imagine you haven't," Renji noted, as they entered the training arena. "Academy punks must get boring after awhile."

"You were an Academy punk once too," Leta countered with a broad grin, "But you were hardly ever boring."

Karin tried to look straight ahead, for fear of further embarassing him further, but out of the corner of her eye she saw his cheeks flush a brilliant red to match his hair. She stifled the urge to laugh by pinching her wrist.

It didn't take any more than that though to keep her attention averted once they were inside. In fact, it took all Karin's focus just to keep standing up.

There were two enormous spiritual pressures emerging from the center of the arena. One was freezing, cold and stifling; heavy, but calmed and controlled. The other, though was wild and raging, like a waterfall of lead pouring onto the backs of anyone around it. Karin's lungs felt filled with an enormous pressure around her; so much, she thought they'd burst from exhaustion. Just in that moment, she felt an invisible arm reach and lift most of the spirit mass from her chest and toss it aside. Curious she looked around to see who'd aided her.

It was Renji. Looking as stern and cheesily heroic as ever, his arm was carefully clutching hers and he had pulled her close to him so that the back of her head and back lay against his large muscular torso.

"What are you-?"

"You were collapsing under all this spirit energy," Renji explained, "I'm keeping you near me and using my own energy as a barrier." He tilted his head down to meet hers. "This way you won't pass out."

"Th-thanks," Karin stumbled, her face blushing slightly at the gesture. Karin felt at odds with the mixed emotions of security and embarassment at her situation.

Looking to her instructor for guidance was a poor decision. Leta seemed to find his act... adorable...from the look on her face.

"Quite a wise idea, Mr. Abarai," She smiled sweetly. She gave Karin a suggestive grin, as if to say _Now isn't he nice?_

Karin frowned heavily, "Don't you say anything." She warned. She felt silly enough as it was pressed next to Renji's chest. _First his foot in my face and now this, _she thought angrily.

"I should have thought of doing that when we first came in," Leta continued, ignoring Karin's irritated expression, "I didn't think they'd be going this all out though." She tapped a finger to her bottom lip.

"Eh," Renji smirked slightly, "With those two, it's pretty much the only way to go."

The calm spiritual pressure followed Byakuya. She was in awe of the twirling of his palms, like a rhythmic dance, and the speed he was using to move around in the small circular dirt battle arena that lay in front of him. She was more amazed, though, at what he was controlling with his hands. In one hand was his Zanpaktou hilt, but no blade attached. Instead, millions of what appeared to be pink cherry blossom petals were soaring through the air like a tornado.

"Are those...flower petals?" Karin's eyes were following their movements.

Renji stared down at her, amused at her naive reaction. "Aren't you perceptive," He chuckled, "Those are actually tiny blades that take the appearance of flower petals. That's Captain Kuchiki's zanpaktou Senbonzakura's ability."

"Senbon...that's it's name?" She looked up to Renji and then to Leta as if for confirmation. Both nodded their heads. "Oh," She whispered in awe, and mild curiosity. _Who would have imagined Captain Kuchiki to have such a...weird...sword?_

The other spiritual presure though, belonged to someone she didn't know. He was incredibly tall and powerfully built, with a face that actually frightened Karin. It wasn't his strange hair that was dark and pulled into shockingly standstill individual points, or the scars that ran ragged across his face and down his chest, or Hell, even the bizarre eyepatch didn't scare her. It was the energy he emitted. Wild and loose it almost seemed to form a glowing skeleton skull around him, as if he was death itself.

"He certainly is fearsome," Leta mused, tapping her bottom lip again.

"What does his zanpaktou do?" Karin asked, noticing nothing was really happening with his sword, other than countering Captain Kuchiki's attacks.

"His sword is special," Leta looked at Karin, "It doesn't have a name...at least, one he knows himself."

"What?" Karin looked baffled, "So his is just an-an Asauchi? Is that what you were telling me they were called?"

Renji snorted loudly, loosening his grip on her for a second, "What? What were you telling her?" He looked to Leta, who shrugged off his comment.

"Oh no no no," She smiled, "His is in a constant unsealed state, he just doesn't know how to summon all its potential, which," She glanced out on the battlefield as a pillar beside the tall scary man exploded from Byakuya's attack, "is probably a good thing. Physical attack strength is enough for him." She raised an eyebrow, which to Karin, was the closest she'd get to seeing Leta Kamaguchi actually look frightened about anything.

"I don't know if we should interrupt them," Renji cautioned, "They tend to like to drag things out until they're both unable to move anymore."

Karin looked up at him curiously, "Who usually wins the battle?"

"Usually there is no winner," Renji sighed, "Just two exhausted warriors unable to finish their fights."

"Well that won't do," Leta objected, her smile fading ever so slightly. "They'll have to call it a day early this time. Captain Kuchiki!" She raised her arms to call out to them, "Captain Zaraki!"

"Shhhh," A voice suddenly came out from behind Renji and Karin, causing Karin to nearly jump out of Renji's grasp. The two spun around swiftly to see who was behind them. Leta merely tilted her head backwards.

Behind them, sitting in the dirt, was a small girl looking no older than Karin. She had on a Shinigami's kimono, and a Vice-Captain's badge strapped to her arm like Renji, but her petite features were emphasized dramatically by her bobbed pink hair and large red eyes. Karin could have sworn she wasn't there when they entered the arena. _Did she hide...can she hide...her spiritual pressure?_

"Yachiru," Renji breathed angrily. "What the Hell do you think you're doing scary us like that?"

"I said 'Shhhh', Brick-Head," The little girl pouted, drawing in the dirt. "You're interrupting Kenny's play time." Karin leaned back to see what she was doodling. It was a childish picture of Byakuya with the scary man's katana impaling him. "He's really happy today." Karin wondered if this Kenny considered kabobbing people a hobby.

"Ah, Yachiru," Leta grinned like there was no tomorrow, "So pleasant to see you again."

The small girl barely looked up, "Hello bird's nest."

Karin was stumped at how immature this girl was. Renji sighed annoyingly, mumbling something under his breath that sounded like 'stupid brat.' Karin had to agree, she wasn't a fan of this girl so far either.

"Yes, I probably should re-evaluate my hairstyle," Leta observed joyfully, "However, I have to interrupt Kenpachi. You know those two, they'll drag this out until morning, which I frankly have no intention on staying 'til."

"Suit yourself," Yachiru replied softly, "Your funeral."

Leta merely giggled in response to her, as Renji lifted his zanpaktou. "I know how to get their attention. Or, at least one of them." He lifted his hands off Karin, "Think you can handle the pressure for a second?"

Karin took a deep breath, "Yeah, for a little bit," She wasn't so sure though.

"Okay." He swung the sword high over his head, "Howl, Zabimaru!"

His katana grew red, then whipped straight ahead like a snake, the metal chunked pieces of his sword separating to form what appeared to be a long iron rope. Zabimaru careened forward, snaking along the ground, until it slid in between the two immense spiritual pressures, connecting with Captain Zaraki's sword and pushing off some of the flower petal blades.

The two captains suddenly stopped mid-attack, flashed their heads toward where the quartet stood, and their pressures diminished instantly. Karin felt like a surge of oxygen had been pumped into her lungs; she gasped so hard and bent over breathing heavily, her hands on her knees. Leta smiled,

"Nice strategy, Mr. Abarai. Wish I'd thought of it," She grinned slyly.

"You probably did, but I figured me interrupting was safer," He eyed the instructor, "For more reasons than one." Karin didn't understand this statement, but Leta seemed to perfectly.

"You're probably right," she mused in an almost mocking tone.

Karin stood up straight to find Captain Kuchiki standing right in front of her. She hadn't realized he could travel so fast, or that anyone could for that matter, and instantly took a step back in fright, letting out a mousey yelp.

"There had better be an ample reason for this interruption," Byakuya growled, giving Karin a look of disgust, "Does it have to do with you?"

"Captain, I-" Renji started.

"Hello, Byakuya Kuchiki!" Leta interjected with a bounce in front of Karin. The young Shinigami couldn't help but notice that everyone always seemed surprised by seeing the Soul Reaper instructor. Karin assumed Leta's small stature was ample camaflouge, coupled with the fact that she kept her spiritual pressure at an almost invisible rate, or so she'd noticed since walking back with her.

Captain Kuchiki looked, to Karin's surprise, speechless. He stared down at her with furrowed eyebrows, but his face was slack, as if he was looking at something that wasn't supposed to exist.

"What are you doing here, Leta Kamaguchi?" Byakuya asked with an indifferent glare.

The other captain, Kenny, stalked up angrily from behind, his battered sword hanging across the back of his shoulders. His kimono was loose and tattered at the ends, along with his Captain's haiyori. He looked positively pissed off, for lack of a better term.

"What the Hell's going on here?" He growled in a gravely voice, "Who stopped the fight?" He turned his sword to Renji, who leaned away from it in slight terror, "Was it you?"

"It was me, Captain Kenpachi Zaraki." Leta smiled, taking her eyes off the still stunned Byakuya. Kenny, or Kenpachi rather, gave her a twisted frown, which to Karin almost seemed like a smile.

"Eh? Oh, you." He grunted. "Eh," He paused, as if seeing her for the first time, "You're that happy-ass broad from the Academy, aren't you?"

Karin's mouth dropped open. _No wonder that kid with him is so rude!_

Byakuya's sword was instantly at Kenpachi's throat, the silver tip of the blade inches from his chin. He looked positively furious, a look Karin hoped she'd never have addressed to her. His pale grey eyes burned into his opponent's.

"You will speak to Madame Kamaguchi with the respect a Noble deserves," He growled low and menacingly. "To call her such terms is worthy of death-"

Leta suddenly reached out and actually gripped Byakuya's wrist. Karin was more and more frightened by all this interaction, as, it seemed, was Renji. She gave Byakuya a serene smile,

"Now now, let's not go that far, Captain Kuchiki. Captain Zaraki means no harm-"

"To insult our high blood," Byakuya was seething, his eyes looking bloodlusty.

"High blood my ass," Kenpachi spit at the ground, "I'll be wiping both of your high blood off my sword here in a second-"

"Insolent-!" Byakuya moved his wrist as if to strike the sword through Kenpachi's neck, but Leta gripped his wrist and twisted it away, towards her.

Karin and Renji stood gaping at the scene. _Holy-did she just stop Captain Kuchiki? _Karin looked up to Renji for an answer to the obvious, and he seemed to be thinking the same thing she was. Kenpachi actually looked impressed by her actions.

"Enough, Captain Kuchiki," She smiled.

Now, Byakuya looked insulted by her, "You dare move my hand?" He hissed.

_Oh dear lord, _Karin thought hopelessly,_ He's such a stuck up-! How ridiculous..._

"I dared interrupt your little match," She grinned with the subtle, scariest hint of caution in her voice. She turned to Kenpachi, "I'm sorry for being so rude, but I urgently need to see Captain Kuchiki at this very moment. You understand I'm sure."

Kenpachi licked his lips with a devilish shark-like grin, "Stealing my opponent, eh?"

"I'll make it up to you," Leta smiled friendly enough, "Next week? Squad Seven barracks?"

Zaraki frowned, looking down at her, but it wasn't a frown of displeasure. It was a frown as if he was thinking. Ichigo made a similar face at times. "Yachiru," he muttered. Karin suddenly realized she was still there, silently drawing skewed opponents to her partner in the dirt. The little girl popped up from beside Renji and jumped, to Karin's amazement, atop the captain's shoulders. Kenpachi gave Leta a hungry expression, licking the corner of his mouth.

"Sparring with you next week?" He grinned murderously, "I'll take it. Let's go, Yachiru."

"Awww," The girl in pink pouted as they started walking away, "Kenny didn't get to finish his match."

"Eh, I would have wiped the ground with his stuck up ass anyway," Kenpachi replied to her, as he broke into a sprint and disappeared over the giant wall of the arena.

"Leta Kamaguchi," Byakuya stared angrily at her, "I don't remember asking you to interrupt any of my state of affairs."

"I know, I know," Leta said with the first hint of impatience Karin had noticed, "But I had to stop you two somehow if there was any chance I'd be able to talk to you before sundown." She gave Renji a smile, "Sorry I had to use your Lieutenant to do it."

Byakuya gave Renji an unreadable expression, then looked down at Karin with a sneer, "Did she cause you any trouble today." It was clear he thought she had.

"Hardly," Leta grinned mysteriously, "I was actually wondering if I could borrow her for the next two days."

She said it so effortlessly and so calmly, like she was asking to stick her finger in the dirt. Karin did a double-take and stared open-mouthed at the instructor. Renji did the same, but with his mouth closed. Byakuya merely stared.

"Excuse me?" He snapped curtly.

"We're doing a project in my class this month," Leta lied smoothly, clean as a whistle, "And Karin's the only one who has no partner in it and is half a month behind." She gave Karin a sympathetic smile, then returned her gaze to the captain, "If she could stay with me, I'd make sure she was caught up by the end of the week."

Renji stared at Byakuya, as if ready to hear his response. Byakuya, to Karin's ultimate dismay, looked anything but receptive to this idea.

"I hardly doubt this is approvable." He frowned, "The council appointed her to me, if you were unaware, Leta Kamaguchi, and to no one else. I can't be transferring her around the Sereitei on the whim of a Third seat instructor at the Academy."

Karin reeled for a second at this information. _Third seat? What does he mean?_

"Come now, Captain Kuchiki," Leta grinned, "The council put her in your care from what I've been told, but they certainly haven't labeled her as exclusively yours now have they?"

"How would you know?" Byakuya smugly replied, "Most have no idea she's even here. Where have you received all this short term-available information?"

Leta's smile could not have stretched across her face any broader. "A little birdie told me. Or rather," She flashed him her teeth, "A little cat that ate the birdie."

Any victorious attitude was wiped instantly from Byakuya's face. Some of the color had drained as well. Karin looked to Renji confused as ever, but he was simply standing awkwardly beside her. Leta continued, a triumphant smile etched permanently on her face,

"The council also, to my knowledge, is interested in Ms. Kurosaki learning the ways of the Shinigami, and here you are offering," She paused, feigning a thinking expression, "Ah, what exactly have you taught the girl so far about being a Shinigami?"

The tone of her voice was pure mocking. Byakuya looked positively enraged, but his calm mask was still, barely, on. "She's been here a day," he seethed.

"Exactly. She's not even settled in," Leta flicked her wrist as she spoke. Karin was amazed at her ability to change subjects and move the conversation to where she wanted it to go. "I suggest before she does, you let her get caught up with her schooling, which," She eyed him the hint of a threat, "Is important to the council. And then in two days she can come back and become your little servent, personal amusement, whatever you're keeping her here for."

Renji looked as if he would have chosen anywhere but there to be at that moment. Karin couldn't believe the gumption this woman had. Or was it stupidity? Karin wasn't sure at this point.

"You owe me," Leta added softly. "Rather, you owe _her_, remember?"

Karin was hoping some veil on this mysteriousness would be lifted by the captain or Vice-captain, but Renji looked completely stumped by this sentence. Any anger Byakuya had in him immediately deflated upon hearing this statement. His shoulders slumped ever so slightly,

"Two days?" he asked finally after what seemed like minutes.

"Only that," Leta smiled, victory apparently in her grasp.

Byakuya glared at Karin, as if he wouldn't mind throwing her off a cliff in that moment to keep Leta from getting her way. Fortunately though, this council had granted her some worth in his mind, at least Karin hoped so.

"Leave, immediately." He grunted, not showing any sign of defeat. "You have extra clothing in your barracks?"

"Doesn't any squad?" Leta gave him a flirtacious grin, which he ignored with a hard cold glare.

"Let us get out of this disgusting pit," Byakuya motioned angrily to Renji, who didn't need to be told twice. He shot Leta a look as if to say _Thanks for putting my Captain in a pissed off mood. _

She shot him a look of apology, "Keep in good health these next few days," She offered, smiling sympathetically. Then, grabbing Karin's hand, she led her quickly to the stone wall where Kenpachi had jumped over, and did the same, Karin flying in air with her.

They touched down onto the soft grass and Karin instantly grabbed Leta's arm before they could move any further.

"Okay," Karin had held in her frustration and confusion long enough, "I don't know what's going on other than you want to teach me to summon my zanpaktou, but I want some answers! Just what happened back there? How do you know that crazy captain and his rude brat? How were you able to stop Byakuya from killing him? What did he mean by Noble? _What _did he mean by Third Seat? _Who _does he owe? _Where _are we going? Why didn't you tell me you were going to abduct me for two days on the way here? And," Karin gasped for breath and gave her a look of utmost worry, "Are you seriously going to _fight _that crazy man next week?"

Leta laughed so hard, it nearly scared Karin out of her skin. "So many questions!" She laughed, her hands jovially resting on her hips. She laughed for a good minute, then, upon seeing Karin's angered expression, stopped herself.

"Seriously," Karin frowned, "We're not leaving until you answer my questions."

"Oh," She giggled, catching her breath, "First of all, yes I'm going spar with him next week, I promised and I'm a Shinigami of my word."

"You lied to Captain Kuchiki," Karin pointed out.

"Yes, but that was necessary," Leta countered with a smaller smile, "Second, I don't know the child but by name, and as for Captain Zaraki I've only seen him at meetings and occasionally on the battlefield." She flicked her wrist innocently.

"Why don't I believe that?" Karin interrupted, sounding less than convinced.

"Shall I finish?" Leta smiled, and Karin lowered her head for second, looking defeated. "Third, Byakuya was addressing me by my work and personal titles. As to why he didn't kill Captain Zaraki, I knew he wouldn't to begin with. He was only threatening, but if I hadn't stepped in he wouldn't think I was being serious with my visit, even though I only rarely come his direction." She flipped a strand of hair behind her ear, "If he was truly threatened, Captain Zaraki would have moved from the line of danger."

Karin gaped at her. Leta continued with an exasperated smile,

"The whys and hows of this situation are not important. What matters is that you are with me at my home for two days," She suddenly looked behind her into the woods, drawing Karin's interest as well, "And we will be able figure things out uninterrupted." Her eyes scanned the treeline behind them. Karin could see nothing but green darkness.

"But," the young Shinigami stammered, "I don't understand-figure things out? What?"

"Hush, please," Leta placed a finger on Karin's mouth, silencing her. She smiled deeper, "It's okay, we're alone."

Karin felt more like a child than she had in years. _What now?_

"Good," A voice started to emerge from the woods. "I was wondering if you'd received the Hell's Butterfly I sent earlier today."

"Sorry," Leta slowly let the finger go from Karin's face, "Captain Kuchiki was his usual stubborn self."

"Now really," The voice was given to a woman stepping out from the treeline. She was tall, dark skinned, and had cropped dark violet hair with golden eyes. "You're not one usually for underexaggerating, Leta."

The Shinigami teacher laughed, "Well, she is his subordinate, Yoruichi. It'd be rude for me to insult her captain."

**Well, that was 5x longer than I expected, but still, I hope you liked it! More answers next chapter, and all I can say is we're getting closer to Karin re-meeting some family figures, a certain white-haired Shinigami, and also, learning some new "names" of her own.**

**I appreciate any feedback for the chapter, and suggestions too! I'm so grateful for all those that read this story. Thank you!**

**-Romania Black**


	31. Too Much Information

Blah...so since when do people catch the flu in the middle of summer? Well, apparently I do. Middle of last week I came down with a flu virus that would shake even DBZ's Goku. (I looked about like him when he had his virus) Needless to say, I was confined to the couch watching the Frieza Saga on DVD and trying to sleep. In the meantime I was trying to think of what all would be in the next couple of chapters.

I hope you're not too mad at me. (I'm WAAAY behind on my POTC chapter quota I promised to meet. yikes!) I have a lot of writing to catch up on.

Anyway, Thank you once again for the reviews and comments!

Special thanks goes to **Kari Izumi, bjacobs101, Turtle-Chan in Blue** (Haha! Byakuya loves to act all high and mighty...but Yes! consider it moved indeed!), **stormcrowley **(I'm glad you like long chapters. I've done them longer before and some people have complained, but your review inspired me to keep them the length I think they should be. Hats off to you!), **T.h.s.E.r. **(I'm glad you like the story! I don't know about flash step queen; Yoruichi's pretty fond of that title. But she's going to Help Karin out with something she can relate to soon...you'll see!) and **theloverofanime! **(I know, the hopeless romantic in me wants him to come out soon too, but the writer in me knows that his coming will be at a much more "convenient" time...once again, ahh, you'll see soon enough! I'm glad you spotted Yoruichi ahead of time though!)

This chapter is a lot of exposition, but it's REALLY crucial to the next chapter...and pretty much the ENTIRE story! So I hope you're not bored. ^_^

Enjoy the chapter,

Romania Black

**Chapter Thirty-One**

**Speak now,  
Or Forever hold your peace  
Speak later,  
And your peace  
Forever held at arms' length**

"Wait," Karin paused, staring at the newcomer to her and Leta. "I know you."

She was taller than Leta and Karin, with short cropped hair that flipped out at her chin and was a dark plum. She had light chocolate skin and the most golden eyes Karin had ever seen. They almost seemed feline. She was dressed in a black outfit that Karin would normally associate with ninjas, tight black cloth wrapping her fit body. She wore no shoes either, but had black socks on her feet.

"Do you?" Yoruichi bit her pinky fingernail, eyeing Karin.

"Do you?" Leta smiled wide. The sun was starting to set and it would be difficult in a few hours for Karin to see Leta's trademark grin.

"I know Ichigo mentioned you," Karin had remembered her brother telling her of a woman that could change back and forth into a cat. One that was described just as the woman in front of her now. _How many other women had golden eyes and seemed so...in place? In charge?_

"Ichigo," Yoruichi smiled deeply, an amused look plagueing her face. "It's been so long since I've seen that young man...you're almost a dead-ringer for him though. You have the same frown."

Karin let out a disgusting sigh, "Seriously? You too?"

"Cat's out of the bag I guess," Leta sighed, only much more jovially.

It was then that Karin realized the significance of what Leta had told Byakuya earlier. "_Or rather a cat who ate the birdie..."_

"You can turn into a cat, right?" Karin wanted to confirm she was in fact both who Ichigo had told her of and also who Leta had mentioned in front of Byakuya. "You told Madame Kamaguchi about me."

Leta and Yoruichi gave each other a brief glance. Yoruichi laughed lightly, "Of course I can turn into a cat...I'm guessing Ichigo told you about that." She seemed to be remembering the encounter, which apparently had been a funny one.

"And the other?" Karin crossed her arms impatiently. She could only imagine her brother's reaction.

"All in good time," Leta cut in, motioning them towards the woods with a smile. "We need to go now if we're going to make it to the mansion before it gets too late. Especially since you're not the fastest individual here." She shot Karin a parental grin almost as if looking at a child. "It'll be enough for you to keep up."

Karin gave a defeated grunt, upset she wasn't going to get all the answers she wanted in that moment, and that she felt more and more like a child today, "Fine. Let's go."

It was completely true, they were incredibly fast. Karin was struggling as she worked her legs to keep up with the two as they hopped through the trees. The weirdest part was that she knew they weren't giving it their all. Even more bizarre was that she knew Leta would have to struggle to keep up with this Yoruichi at her best. If Karin was heaving to run at Leta's pace, Leta was gasping to keep up with Yoruichi who might not have had to breathe at all. It was beyond Karin's comprehension to realize how fast this woman could run.

"She's so..._fast_," Karin mumbled softly.

Leta, who was in front of her by a foot, turned her head and smiled sweetly, "Well, she is the Goddess of Flash, as said by all of the Soul Society."

Karin stared at Yoruichi, "G-g-godess of Flash?"

The feline femme laughed, "Yes, I've kept that title intact for quite a while."

"Though it's been tested," Leta added. Yoruichi laughed knowingly. Karin couldn't help but stare at them; they seemed like old friends who'd known each other for years. Yet...they also seemed at a distance from each other all the same.

"How long have you known each other?" Karin asked as they ran seemingly blind through the forest. The trees were blurred and only the outlines of Leta and Yoruichi kept Karin from smacking any trunks as they went.

Yoruichi looked thoughtful, "We've known each other for about two hundred years," She noted. Leta nodded,

"Well yes, except you were gone one hundred of those years." She turned to Karin, "I've known Yoruichi since I was a baby here in the Soul Society, which has been about two hundred years."

Karin reeled at the information. _Madame Kamaguchi is...two hundred...years old?_

"No way..." She blinked, "Are you as old as Captain Kuchiki then?"

"Older," Leta smiled, "By about seventy years." She winked, "Which isn't a lot here in the Soul Society, but enough to give me a little leverage." Leta eyed Yoruichi, "I'm still younger than Yoruichi here though."

Karin didn't even want to ask how old Yoruichi was.

"I'd prefer not to disclose," The Goddess of Flash smirked, "At least not as old as Layla."

Leta smiled more softly, "True. Very true."

Karin frowned, _I wonder who Layla is? Maybe a relative of Leta's..._

The rest of their run was relatively silent, other than Yoruichi and Leta exchanging news to each other about people and places Karin wasn't familiar with yet. The only piece of news she found mildly interesting was that the council was being pressured into removing Rukia from the position as Vice-Captain of the Third Division. Karin wanted to know more, but just looking their direction at this news made the two seniors abruptly, and to Karin's utmost irritation, change the subject. After more grueling irrelevant small talk, Leta spoke of something that Karin could relate to.

"We're approaching the compound," Leta smiled, motioning forward. "Miss Kurosaki."

The three stopped short at the edge of the treeline, all the surroundings no longer blurred. Karin felt slightly dizzy, and definitely nautious. It has seemed like they'd ran for hours. It was dark out now, the stars gleaming above them like scattered white confetti. Karin stared up at the sky as she caught her breath, then held it when she realized what was in front of them.

It was a mansion, one of the largest she'd ever seen. Three large fuedal Japanese constructs were combined together; they looked as if they were made of solid gold and rich dark wood walls and beams. The design was almost like a bathhouse oddly enough. The gates surrounding the three conjoined houses were golden as well, but the bars were spaced far enough that anyone could seemingly slip through them, let alone see the entire layout of the compound. Several weeping willows adorned the front stone walkway, and flame torches lit the path. A giant crimson banner hung about the tallest of the three houses, labeled _Kamaguchi._

Karin looked slowly towards Leta, who was already staring at Karin as if expecting this move.

"M-madame Kamaguchi?" Karin raised an eyebrow, "I'm under the impression this isn't one of the 13 Divisions?"

Yoruichi laughed, "I'd assume Byakuya would expect us to go to the Squad Seven barracks."

Leta nodded, "Of course he would."

"Excuse me!" Karin grumbled, "No one's letting me know what's going on, which is kind of bad since this all has to do with me, right?" She narrowed her eyes angrily at the two elder Shinigami, who returned her irritated stare with amused smirks.

"Fair enough," Leta sighed smiling all the same, "We haven't been too reasonable with explanations, have we?" She gave Yoruichi a glance. "Truth of the matter is you don't really know my position do you?"

"Eh," Karin was slightly taken aback, "Uh, I know you're a teacher at the Shinigami Academy."

"Yes, that's very true. I was hired by the late Captain Yammamoto to instruct Soul Reaper Combat there for the last sixty years." She smiled more slyly, "But that title is not what I'm known most for in the Soul Society." Leta sighed, "If you must know, I'm Leta Kamaguchi, the 3rd Seat of Squad Seven, as well as the youngest daughter of the Kamaguchi's, one of the Four Noble Families of the Seiretei."

Karin stared blankly at her.

"Uhm...I take it that's important."

Yoruichi burst out laughing, and to Karin's surprise, Leta let out a giggle.

"Oh my," Leta's smile was the most genuine Karin had ever seen it, "It's been a long time since I was around someone who didn't pay any attention to Soul Society politics."

"She is Ichigo's sister most definitely," Yoruichi was holding her side. Karin glared at her.

"I'm sorry, Karin. I should have explained better." Leta raised a hand to stop Yoruichi, who was still laughing, her mouth wide in glee. "As far as a squad goes, I'm the rank right below Renji in your squad. I don't have to go to many meetings or things like that, and it enables me to be an instructor in the Academy. As for the Noble thing," She smirked, "There are Four current Noble Families that exist in Soul Society. We are considered 'royalty' to some here...or at least to older residents...or Byakuya. He's a member of one of the Four Families as well."

Karin suddenly realized what she was saying, "Oh! So that's why he respects you so much."

"Well, in a way," She motioned Karin and Yoruichi to follow her towards the gates to the mansion, "Yoruichi is also from one of the Four Noble Families, but Byakuya still regards her less than he should."

Karin turned to the feline woman, "Why's that?"

Yoruichi, "It's too long of a story for now." She smiled mischieviously, "Let's just say I've always been a little too much for him to handle."

Karin gave the tall, fiercely feminine woman a look over. She could certainly see that.

Turning to Leta, Karin pointed to the gate, "This gate looks so flimsy. If you're such a royal family with a lot of wealth, I'm guessing, why do you have such little security?"

Leta giggled for a second time, "Ah, let me explain something else. Our name, Kamaguchi, means 'mouth of god.' It was given to my ancestors for their vast knowledge of Kido, spells that can be cast through oral incantation. Our family, with the exception unfortunately of myself who is only just adequate, is actually labeled as one of the finest in the use of Kido." She moved her hands into a prayer position and mumbled a phrase that Karin couldn't catch. Instantly, the doors swung open.

"Please be careful," Leta cautioned, "Follow straight behind me until we've reached the first torch. The spell placed on this fence will incenerate anyone who does not follow proper protocol when entering."

_Well, so much for minimum security, _Karin gulped and followed Yoruichi and Leta to the doors of the mansion.

"Is Lyall home?" Yoruichi raised an eyebrow and glanced to Leta.

"Readying for the Noble Summit Ball," Leta smiled wryly, "As is Layla. We have the entire mansion to ourselves for the next few days."

"And the Academy?" Yoruichi raised the other eyebrow.

"I've already arranged everything," Leta opened the door to the mansion, a giant twenty food tall barrier of gold with encryptions of eagles in gold molding on the front.

Karin stomped her foot and huffed loudly, "Uhm, I'm still back here you know!" She was beyond frustrated that the two Shinigami were treating her as if she wasn't even with them. "I'd like to know what's going on too!"

"Calm down," Leta patted Karin's shoulder in a very best friend manner, "Walk inside and we'll give you the explanation you deserve."

The inside to the mansion was even lovelier than the outside. Instead of Gold lining every inch, hundreds of different beautiful kinds of wood were encorporated everywhere. Mahogany, Oak, Maple, Dogwood, even the floors were a rich hardwood. Highlighting the fine construction was dark crimson and black velvet lining, and many seemingly hand-sewn linens and rugs. Karin was almost so amazed by the royal appearance of the estate that she almost lost interest in Leta's promise of an explanation. Almost, that is.

"Your reaction is usually that of all first-time guests," Leta sighed, her arms crossed at her chest. "But you'll have plenty of time to gawk at it later."

Karin spun around, remembering Leta's promise.

"I know, I know," She waved her hands smiling with slight embarassment. "I understand this is so much for you to take in, in such a short time, however it's necessary."

"Why?" Karin pleaded.

"Because we think the council is going to use you," Yoruichi butted in.

Karin gaped at her. _So Renji was right!_

"It's true," Leta nodded. "The council was far too lenient with you to begin with, and not only that, but they've been making extremely rash and odd choices on your behalf, such as sticking you in the care of a Gotei 13 Captain."

"But we're not sure of their extent yet," Yoruichi added, "There's still a lot we are not sure of as far as details and specifics."

Karin had guessed this much to begin with, "But where does that leave me?"

Leta's smiled faded slightly, becoming more stern, "You have to be prepared for the Council. These are not acting Shinigami we're talking about. They're aristocrats, Noble wannabees who play politics, not practicality."

"And they're not afraid of losing life in the name of their so-called justice," Yoruichi finished, the bitterness very notable in her voice. Karin didn't want to know the reason behind it; seeing the fury in her eyes was good enough.

"Luckily," Leta noticed the confused and frightened look on Karin's face after Yoruichi had ended her sentence, so she quickly interrupted, "We have already formulated a plan to find out the full extent of their intentions."

This quickly drew Karin's attention, "Really?"

"Oh yes," Leta's smile was much more cheerful, "My brother and sister are currently attending preparations of an event that happens once every few decades amongst the Noble Families. It's called the 'Noble Summit Ball.'"

Karin almost snorted, "It sounds like a stuck up formal dance to me." _But at least that explains this 'Lyall' and 'Layla.' They must be her siblings-_

Leta and Yoruichi both laughed, "It's very similar," Yoruichi grinned.

"Anyway, at this ball, the Four Noble Families meet, discuss happenings amongst them and the Seireitei. It's basically their way of showing off how rich and successful they are compared to the," She altered her voice to a snobbish drolling tone, "_low life scum of the Rukongai_."

Upon seeing Karin's confused reaction Yoruichi explained, "That's those souls not powerful enough to stay within the Seireitei and the Gotei 13."

"Basically, the Four Noble Families host this huge ball, and brag about each other." Leta looked less than thrilled about the occasion. "They invited the Gotei 13 Captains, and the Council as well. Which," Her smile became devilish, "is the key point in the plan."

Karin could have cared less when she heard about the council part. _The...captains all come to this ball? So...Toshiro will be there! _

"Um," Leta stared blankly at Karin, as did Yoruichi, "Karin? Are you listening? This...is kind of the important part."

"Oh!" Karin snapped back to reality, wiping, what to her utmost horror, was a small line of drool starting out the corner of her mouth. _What the Hell?_

Yoruichi smirked almost as if she'd known what Karin was thinking about, but Leta looked impatient.

"Look," She rushed her voice, "The Council is going to be at this Summit! This is our chance to find out what they're going to do with you! Or at least planning. This is crucial to your existence Karin!" And for the first time, Leta sounded almost angry. Karin's eyes widened,

"I'm sorry...I'm listening."

Leta sighed, "Good."

"So," Karin was running over all of this in her mind. It was almost too much to absorb. "There's this big Noble Summit Ball coming up and you want to go to find out what the council is thinking about doing with me?"

"Yes," Leta and Yoruichi said simultaneously.

"Then why do you need me?" Karin asked confused. "Did you bring me all the way out here just to tell me this?"

"No," Leta replied, "Not just that. Karin, you have to come with us to the Summit Ball."

"Wha-" this caught the young Shinigami completely off guard, "Wha-why?"

"The council will be more likely to answer our questions with you there," Yoruichi placed her hands on her curvy hips, "Or rather, more likely to try and recruit you to one of their plans thinking you will be all the unwise to their schemes."

"I'll be like a secret agent?" Karin was actually starting to like this undercover operation idea. It was a chance to actually _do _something as a Shinigami. _Wait..._"But what if I'm found out? I don't know how to call out my Zanpaktou. How would I defend myself?" _Heck, I don't even know any Kido!_

"And _THAT_," Leta smiled broadly, "Is precisely what these next two days are for!" She stood by Yoruichi, who was smiling serenely, "We are going to assist you in calling out your Zanpaktou!"

"That way," Yoruichi smiled, "At least you will be able to somewhat defend yourself should anything happen."

"Two days," Karin thought these words over, "That's not a lot of time to train."

"It's not really training that's crucial at this point," Leta said gently, "It's more that you can surprise and distract."

"You can leave the actual 'beating up' process to us," Yoruichi smugly added. "The Council members aren't really warriors to begin with."

"You'd only have to worry about any of the Nobles getting riled up," Leta explained.

Karin could only think of Byakuya, his sword raised high as thousands of pink flower petals hacked her into a million pieces. She shuddered and closed her eyes for a second. But as she opened them, she saw both Yoruichi and Leta giving her a slightly sympathetic smile.

"We understand," Leta soothingly patted Karin's back, "This is so much to take in now. Please," She motioned towards the steps, where to Karin's suprise, a young woman in a maid's outfit was walking down towards them, "Rest tonight. I've called in a substitute instructor for the Academy the next two days. I'll be here with you to make sure you're safe."

"I feel safe here!" Karin countered, "It's this Summit that's unsettling."

Leta laughed softly, "So it is. You'll know more tomorrow, I promise. Let all we've told you sink in for now."

"O-okay," Karin followed the maid towards the steps, already feeling weighed down by so much information. _Thank goodness I'm not Ichigo or Goat-beard, _Karin thought with an exhausted smile, _They'd never be able to understand any of this..._

When Karin was finally out of sight, Leta turned to Yoruichi, her face looking forlorn and slightly worried. "Did I say too much you think?"

"No," Yoruichi said simply, "You did fine."

"She's so young," Leta shook her head, "For her to be tossed into the Council's agenda," She tightened her fists, "It's disgusting."

"I couldn't agree more," Yoruichi moved to the door. "It's too late; my servants will be restless by the time I make it back. I will return in the morning of course." She paused and eyed Leta, "May I bring-?"

"Oh! Yes," Leta smiled, "Feel free to."

"Excellent."

"Yoruichi," Leta reached out a hand, as if to stop the Shinigami from leaving, "Do you...do you think she is as powerful as her brother? Is that why?"

"She's not...not yet," Yoruichi sighed, "She may never be...who knows. But the Council isn't known for their logic, are they? We'll see in the next few days I suppose."

"She is one unique young woman," Leta noted.

Yoruichi was already halfway out the door. "That she is."

_**Blah, So I wanted to get to the training this chapter, but this was a good spot to stop on. I will have the next chapter up in a day or two. Now that I feel better I'm in a MUCH better mood to write! Huzzah! **_

_**Anyway, I hope this wasn't a boring chapter. There was so much information that needed to be explained before we went any further...and there is STILL more information in store! Nothing as exposition-y as this chapter though! haha**_

_**I hope you liked it! Please, feel free to let me know.**_

_**Best wishes and health,**_

_**Romania Black**_


	32. Surrender to the Soul

Ah! I'm so happy the last chapter had such good reception. I'd like to go ahead and thank my readers and reviewers first off for some great ideas and fantastic comments!

Thanks to **Thunder Claw03, Turtle-chan in Blue **(haha, If the Kamaguchi's wanted to sell it, I'm sure it would!), **RogueSama** (Please don't be too impatient with me! haha), **theloverofanime **(Boot camp! Wow, hats off to you! I'm glad my story gives people ways to relieve tension and relax, it makes me feel more obligated as a writer), **stormcrowley **(Holy cow, that was such a great and intense review! I loved your analysis! As for Leta, there's stuff to be revealed about her later on. Also, I changed the title...I was a bit embarrassed about having it spelled wrong. Some English major I am, huh? haha, As for the plot, I've a few surprises...or hopefully surprises...in store, so I can't reveal too much yet. All I can say is the Council is setting their goals a little high. That is all for now), **t.h.E.s.r. **(Oh, there is certainly going to be HitsuKarin interaction at the ball...and some before then! -wink wink-), and **fluco99** (It would have been nuts if she'd shown up in Hueco Mundo or FKT. Ichigo is going to appear soon...more about that below!). _**Many Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far!**_

In other news, this chapter is one of the ones I've wanted to write since the very FIRST chapter...it's just taken this long to get here!

haha, what I like about this story is that I know what's going to happen pretty much for the next ten chapters. The tricky thing is writing so we get there, but in a way that's respectful to the readers and to the story. All I can say now is get ready for these plot pieces (and people) to be cropping up in the next couple of chapters:

-Byakuya, Renji, Rikishi (If you don't know him, you will), The Noble Summit Ball, Toshiro (whoo hoo!), Kenpachi, Yachiru, Leta's siblings, Some faces of the Gotei 13 Karin hasn't met yet, as well as (though not in the next few chapters) Ichigo and Yuzu! (have patience, I have to get there first.)

That's what's to look forward to so far...and of course, we'll have some surprises along the way. I'm really excited for where this is going! I hope you are too! Until then,

Enjoy the chapter,

Romania Black

**Chapter Thirty-Two**

**Warriors do not  
Sink or Swim**

Warriors only  
Swim  
Survive  
Surpass

To Sink is to Sub-Exist

It was the best sleep Karin had experienced in weeks. Even leading up to her transformation into a Shinigami, the anxiety of getting ready for Junior High had been exhausting, leaving her sleepless for a number of nights. Thinking back, Karin hadn't been sure what about Junior High seemed so unsettling. Compared to the life she was leading now, amongst infiltrating uncertain waters that held her very life, or maybe afterlife, in the balance...the "real world" almost seemed trivial.

_I wonder what Urahara told them, _Karin thought, as she started to lift her face up from the bed, _What excuse could make Yuzu feel secure about me?_

There wasn't many Karin could think of.

Karin sat up in bed. The sun was shining brightly through an opening in the white cotton curtain. The room she'd been given was adorned with light Maple wood furnishings and accented with white curtains, bedspreads, tapestries, and gold-embroidaried blankets and rugs. It had an almost angelic quality to it.

_Yuzu would have loved this room,_ Karin thought looking around, and felt a pang of homesickness in her stomach. _Yuzu..._

"Good morning, Miss Kurosaki," Leta was standing in the doorway, a dark blue kimono with purple marigolds draped over her black Shinigami robes. Karin had no idea how long she'd been there. "Nice to see I didn't need to wake you. How do you like our guest room?"

"It's...amazing," Karin really couldn't describe it any other way. "How many rooms do you have like this?"

"This is a one-of-a-kind room," Leta replied. "All our guest rooms are color-based. I'm sure you guessed this is the 'White Room.'" She sighed, slightly embarrassed, "My mother was obsessed with color-coding everything, so she had all the guest rooms and bathrooms match and be unique at the same time." She shook her head as if it was an insane notion.

"It's really neat," Karin objected, "I love it."

"Really?" Leta sounded surprised, "My siblings and I think it's mildly tacky, but I guess if the guests like it," She shrugged, then smiled at Karin, "Get your kimono on and come downstairs. Breakfast has just been served; you need some strength in you if you're going to go all out training today!" With that she bounced happily from the doorway and Karin could hear her steps down the hall and down the stairs.

_Seriously, _Karin thought as she forced herself out of bed, _ Does that woman EVER get up on the wrong side of the bed?_

The kitchen was very homely compared to the rest of the mansion, at least to Karin it seemed so. It reminded her of the kitchen at the winter resort her father took her and her siblings to when she was younger. There was a kiln in the corner for baking, several logs piled high beside it. The table was a dark wood that was slightly gnarled, but fashionably so and the theme of the kitchen seemed to be color-coded as well, since nearly all pots, pans, and dishes were matching shades of magenta.

Yoruichi was already scarfing down what looked to be her third bowl of breakfast rice, munching loudly as she occasionally took a swift gulp from the glass bottle of milk beside her. Karin stared for a second; she would have never guessed the graceful and serene Goddess of Flash would be such a messy eater.

Karin would have continued to stare and see how many bowls of rice the Shinigami could plow through, but her attention was immediately averted when she saw who was beside Yoruichi.

Positioned in a high chair of much smoother dark wood was a baby, snugly fit in a long sleeved black shirt, gnawing on the end of a purple plastic ring. The baby had deep chocolate hair and bright almost yellow orange eyes that looked very feline. His smooth honey skin complimented the wavy dark hair perfectly. Though the Shinigami beside him was making a great deal of noise emptying bowls of food, the baby boy was staring straight at Karin, who found she couldn't take her eyes off him.

"Isn't Shou adorable?" Leta erupted from behind Karin, sending her flailing against the table. Yoruichi took no notice of this as she finished her fifth rice bowl. "Oh, sorry if I scared you Karin," Leta smiled and placed a bowl, about the size of one that Yoruichi had eaten, in front of her. "Here's breakfast!"

Karin gripped the chopsticks Leta handed her, "Shou?"

"Yes," Leta moved towards the baby, gently lifting his small pudgy arms above his head. "He's Yoruichi's son." She swung them playfully from side to side, cooing by his face in a very motherly fashion, "_Aren't you, _Shou? _Aren't you_?"

Karin stared at the baby's eyes; they certainly were a match for Yoruichi's. The way he stared did emulate an animal-like nature, but Karin couldn't be certain if it was cat-like or not.

"Stop babying him like that, Leta," Yoruichi wiped her mouth, taking a breath, "Only his mother gets that job," She winked playfully at her son, who instantly beemed. He favored his mother in almost every way, aside from the hair.

"He's not very old, is he?" Karin had no idea how time worked in the Soul Society.

"Not really," Yoruichi smiled, sighing, "I usually leave him at the Shihouin household, but Leta has asked the last three times I've visited to bring him, and this time I decided to oblige. We can take turns watching him while we train."

Karin nodded. _So they won't fight me two-on-one...that's a relief. _A thought suddenly cropped into her mind. "Will he turn into a cat like you?" Karin asked before taking a large bit of rice.

For a moment, both Leta and Yoruichi stared at her, blank expressions on their faces. Then Yoruichi let out a wide-grinned boasterous laugh. Leta simply smiled at her friend's reaction.

"No one's ever asked me that!" Yoruichi's smile was very feline. "Hmmm, I don't think so. All clan leaders of the Shihouin Clan have the ability to turn into animals, but it's very...personally based."

"On your personalities?" Karin took another bite.

"In a way," Yoruichi rested her elbow on the table, propping up her face. "I've always been a cat. My grandmother turned into an owl when she was clan leader...who knows. It's up to Shou I suppose." She gave her son a look; he was drooling onto his black shirt.

"I don't mean to rush," Leta cut in, grabbing two of the bowls Yoruichi had emptied, "But we should begin soon before morning passes us by. We may have more ground to cover than we think."

"Agreed," Yoruichi was standing and stretching. She was wearing a Shinigami uniform, but the sleeves were completely gone, and it looked much more form-fit. "Are you about finished, Karin?"

"Almost," Karin still had a few bites to go to finish the bowl. She had been hungry, but the giant bowl had nearly filled her up. _How on earth did Yoruichi eat FIVE of these?_ She took the last few bites quickly and gave her bowl to Leta.

The Goddess of Flash tugged a tight orange jacket on over her outfit, then reached under the table and pulled out a matching miniature jacket and carefully placed it on her son. Karin shook her head in wonder; they looked ridiculously cute in their matching Shinigami clothes.

"Ready to go?" Yoruichi patted her son's head, which was bobbing up and down in the closest possible thing to a nod a baby could manage. "Alright, outside!" Yoruichi grabbed him and hugged him close to her, and in a flash had vanished from sight.

"What happened?" Karin stammered. _The baby-!_

"It's alright," Leta giggled, "She just flash-stepped outside. He'll be fine, come on!" She bounded out the door, her blue kimono no longer draped across her petite frame.

Karin let out a happy sigh of relief as she followed her instructor. _Shou Shihouin, you are going to be one spoiled child..._****

Outside the mansion was a large dirt circle training arena, enclosed by the treeline and, to Karin's slight terror, the incenerating fence. Yoruichi laid Shou in Leta's lap and the two made their way to the outer edges of the arena, where a set of wooden bleachers was positioned as if for spectators. Despite it being only August, a few of the trees around them were starting to shed light green leaves into the air. Leta gathered a few in her palms and tossed them above Shou's head. The baby merely stared curiously at them, causing Leta's face to break into a large smile.

"Alright," Yoruichi cracked her knuckles, drawing Karin's attention back to the center of the arena. "The first thing we need to do, or rather the most important, is to teach you to call your zanpaktou."

Karin narrowed her gaze with slight worry, "I'm taking it you're going to fight me?"

Yoruichi stared at her, "Well...I could do that. Why would you draw that conclusion?"

The young Shinigami hadn't prepared much of an answer, considering this wasn't the reaction she was expecting. "Ah, um, Ichigo told me when he first learned his zanpaktou's name, he was fighting Mr. Urahara. I thought you had to be in mortal danger or something for you to learn their name." It seemed logical enough to her; to be placed in a fatal situation in order for your sword to allow you to access its power.

"I see," Yoruichi grinned knowingly, "Ichigo was a case where the straightforward attack approach worked best. For you though," Her gold eyes narrowed, "I think we'll go with a much more...controlled strategy."

Karin tilted her head in confusion, "What's that?"

"It's called _Jinzen_," Yoruichi stretched her legs, sitting on the ground. "Literally 'conversing with your sword.' It's an ancient art involving meditation," Karin frowned with slight agitation at this, "where you enter your inner world, or the deep regions of your soul, to communicate with your zanpaktou spirit."

"I have to meditate?" Karin had only pictured old gurus in the temples around town doing such things. It seemed a very boring and pointless procedure to her.

Yoruichi gave her a mischievious grin, "It sounds dull, but it's incredibly effective. You seem to have decent patience for someone your age, so this will more than likely work fine." She flicked her plum hair, "With this technique, you're three times as likely to call out your zanpaktou on the first contact."

"Really?" Karin was slowly growing more open to trying this meditation theory, "If it works so well though, then why didn't you teach Ichigo it when he was training? I'm sure Mr. Urahara knows about this Jinzen thing."

Yoruichi gave her a dubious look, "Can you picture your brother meditating?"

Karin's face broke into a huge smile, "Good point." Just the image alone was enough to make her laugh.

"Exactly. There was also the fact that we were in a much more urgent setting. Now," Yoruichi positioned herself in a meditative position, "Please sit down and sit as I do." Karin mimicked her posture. "You have your zanpaktou?"

Karin nodded, withdrawing the crimson hilted katana. She had taken off the white bandages, so its sheath gleamed in the sunlight. She looked at Yoruichi with sudden curiosity. "Miss Yoruichi, um, where is _your _zanpaktou?" Karin had actually never seen the Shinigami with her sword since she'd met her.

Yoruichi's face looked slightly grim, "It's rather difficult for me to carry my zanpaktou when I'm in cat form," She offered, "Plus, to be frank, my sword and I have never really seen eye to eye."

"Seriously?" Karin stared surprised. "Your sword doesn't like you?"

"It's more the other way around," Yoruichi said nonchalantly, "Besides, with my abilities in other forms of combat, I grew weary of dragging my zanpaktou around. It stays safe in the Shihouin mansion in case I do need to use it...but that's rarely been the case." She sounded very secure in her lack of need for her sword. Karin gulped; _And here I'm just trying to learn how to use mine to survive...she doesn't even need hers!_

"Oh," Karin replied, trying to change the subject. "That's a good reason."

"Let's continue, shall we?" Yoruichi proved much better at moving the conversation along. "Place your sword in your lap, first of all." Karin laid the katana across her folded legs, "Then, I want you to focus all your heart, every emotion, on connecting with your sword." She sighed, "This is the hardest part usually, because it requires the most focus."

Karin looked down at her sword. _This is hard...it's...just a metal katana..._It was difficult to think that this metal object was going to give her powers beyond just the ability to slash someone.

"If it helps," Yoruichi offered gently, "Close your eyes and try to silently greet the zanpaktou." She smiled wryly, "It may sound ridiculous, but you have to let go of conventions when it comes to this technique."

Karin nodded, "Okay. I'll do it."

She looked back down at the sword, closing her eyes as she focused on it's crimson thread hilt, the metal guard curved into three wavy flames. _It does sound bizarre...if I say 'hello' will my sword answer back? I guess it's worth a try. Okay..._Karin made her mind go blank. She could hear the thumping as if her heart was thundering softly in her chest, and focused on that. Then, as it was the only sound around her, she let the blackness swell in her mind, consuming everything else until there was just the dark, the heartbeat, and the image of her sword in front of her. Then, to herself, Karin let her inner voice tenderly address the darkness,

_Hello? Are you there? I don't know your name...but I want to._

It was deathly silent; even her heartbeat had softened in volume. The darkness seemed to be overwhelmingly void of existence. Then, the tiniest whisper hissed through the bleak blackness,

"Do you?"

Karin's eyes snapped open, eager to tell Yoruichi she'd heard a reply, but to her shock, when she opened her eyes the darkness was replaced with blinding sunlight, followed by the realization that she was no longer in the dirt arena.

She was sitting in the middle of what looked like a sand dune. In fact, there was sand as far as the eye could see, with the occasional stone column sticking crooked out of the ground. It looked like a palace had once been here, but the sand had swallowed it whole, leaving only the top spires sticking out in the open.

_Is this...could this be my 'inner world?' _Karin had never expected it to be so desert like and bleak, but then again, _ I guess I didn't really know what to expect this to be like_...

Karin stood up on shaky knees. She started to walk around, her feet surprisingly not sinking into the dune as she moved forward. Despite the arid appearance of the world around her, and the sand softly wafting in the air, Karin could breathe perfectly. It was as if...

_...Is this "inner world" place just for show?_

"What do _you _think?"

Karin spun around in the sand, following the voice. It echoed around her, making it difficult to discover the origin. Karin's brow furrowed; she had a pretty good idea who the voice must have belonged to.

"Took you long enough to come here," The voice appeared again, sounding to Karin like a bullying older sibling, "I thought you had decided to abandon me."

Karin twisted in place, trying to locate the voice, "Are you my zanpaktou spirit? Answer me!"

"Why should I?"

The sand fell to the dunes, and the air was still. Karin was looking around every angle, trying to catch a glimpse of the spirit avoiding her. "Come out! How can I talk to you if I can't even see you?"

"That _would _be difficult, wouldn't it?" The voice came from behind Karin, "But you have to be facing me in order to see me first, babe." Karin narrowed her eyes and spun around in the sand.

It took a moment before Karin realized she should have been looking down.

A few feet away from her, buried halfway in the sand was what seemed like a dark auburn smooth stone. A soft rumbling quaked around Karin, forcing her to step back several paces, as the stone began to rise out of the ground.

The stone was not a stone at all, but rather a head of hair.

Rising from the grainy earth, was only what Karin could describe as her zanpaktou spirit.

She was taller than Karin by a foot, with the body of a lean runner that had a barely feminine chest. Hugging her athletic frame was a skin-tight dark, almost black, crimson sleeveless body suit that started at her neck and ran to her shoeless feet. A diamond shaped cut-out in the chest of the suit revealed her subtle cleavage. A black cloak was wrapped around her neck and draped over her left arm, completely concealing it from view. She had cropped hair that was an angled razor bob of dark auburn, eyes that were almond-shaped and crimson in color. Dangling from her ears were a set of black feather earrings, that were actually on fire. Karin would have told her of this, but she suddenly noticed the flame never grew or diminished, but was stagnant.

The spirit looked very humanoid, the only thing non-human about her being her ankles, the back of which each had a talon jutting from the skin. It reminded Karin of a bird's talon.

"Nice of you to notice," the spirit smiled devilishly, her grin huge and gleaming white, "Karin."

_It's not surprising she knows my name. _"Are you my zanpaktou spirit?"

"Tck," The spirit clicked her teeth dismissively. "Duh. I'm the embodiment of your soul as a Shinigami," The spirit snickered, eyeing Karin in a mocking fashion, "So basically, yes."

Karin frowned, "I got you the first time."

The spirit leapt in front of Karin, sand parting ways at their feet. Karin had to look up to see her pointed, heart-shaped face.

"Don't be so rude, little girl," She stared down with slight contept at Karin, who realized she wasn't dealing with something human or Shinigami anymore. "I would ask why you're here, but that's pretty obvious, huh?" She laughed, it was a quick, almost wicked laugh.

"I need to know your name," Karin stated, cowering ever so slightly.

"Ah," The zanpaktou seemed to already know this fact, "But why?"

"Huh?" Karin gave her a puzzled look.

"You have known me since you were born a Shinigami," The being circled Karin, "As I have known you since I was born into your soul. Yet you still do not know my name?"

"Obviously," Karin didn't like riddles. "Look, I-"

"Shut. Up." The zanpaktou gripped Karin by the arm and tossed her aside, "And listen."

Karin, who'd landed in the sand on her bottom, gripped her arm in pain. _She's really strong..._

The spirit smiled triumphantly, "If you expect me to tell you anything, you have to answer me this. _Why _do you want to know my name?"

The young Shinigami stared at the ground. She didn't feel like telling her sword spirit that the reason was so she could use her to infiltrate and eavesdrop on the Council. _But then again_, Karin thought, _I could do that without her...why then...do I need to know..._She snapped her head forward.

"To defend myself," She answered, ready to facepalm her forehead for not answering quicker. "I need to know your name to defend myself against," She had no clue if the spirit knew about her plans with the Council, "my enemies."

The zanpaktou spirit stared at her a good minute, her eyes furrowed and her lips drawn thin. After the air of silence had settled, the spirit opened her mouth wide and let out a deep, cruel laugh, nearly sending Karin backwards into the sand in shock.

"To defend yourself? To defend yourself!" The spirit laughed, "That's a noble response, little girl, but it's not going to cut it with me."

"What?" Karin leapt to her feet, "What are you saying? That's a good enough reason!"

"It's not the _right _reason," She countered. "Not for you. I know you better than anyone, just as you know me. I'm an embodiment of your spirit, your soul and its power. You've constantly talked about defending people from harm, but really what do you have to do in order to defend them?"

Karin let this statement sink in. She crossed her arms at her chest, her foot playing in the sand. She stopped and gave the spirit a hard look. It suddenly clicked, "I've...I have to fight."

The zanpaktou spirit's face broke into a sinister smile. "Bingo, kid. You have to let loose your urges and instinct and fight! Raw power at your fingers and toes; you have to use it! That's what I am! I am that power, the flames that spread from your heart to your fists! To fight for those you defend...that is your soul's power!" She yelled, almost as if to not only Karin, but the entire inner world.

She was now bent over, her hands clasping Karins together, her crimson eyes staring directly into Karin's face. "I will give you all my strength, if you want. But I caution, this power will not be easy to control." She grinned maliciously, "_I _will not be easy to control."

Karin returned her hard gaze, "We have to start somewhere."

"That's the ticket," The spirit rose, the flame earrings buring even brighter. "Then here," She reached from behind her back and pulled out, to Karin's surprise, the young Shinigami's katana. "Are you ready to begin your life _officially _as a Shinigami?" She stared down at Karin, whose face broke into a knowing smile.

"Only if we're in this together." _Could it really have always been this easy?_ Maybe there was a catch to this she didn't know yet.

The spirit nodded, her smile more serene, "Until our fighting spirit is forever consumed." She tossed the sword into the sand in front of Karin. "You fight to defend others, you fight to defend me, you fight to defend this world." She gestured to the vast desert around Karin. "Surrender your pride in order to fight and defend!"

The swelling built up in Karin's chest as her spirit's voice rose with her speech. She smiled and lifted the sword into the air, feeling for the first time a knowing: a knowledge that she was a Shinigami, and that her world now had a deeper purpose.

Sensing this as well, the spirit smiled wide, her white teeth blinding, "Surrender, and say my name! You know it now!"

And to her own amazement, the name was now so easy to remember. It was as if it'd always been at the back of her mind.

"I surrender my pride! I will fight and defend!" Karin looked up at the sword gleaming in the inner world sunlight, "YAKYUU!"

The sun exploded into a thousand ribbons of flame, that flowed from the sword's tip and onto Karin's arm. She could hear the spirit beside her laughing wildly, before the entire inner world around her faded to black again.

_**I'm going to try and catch up with my other fanfiction, (It's about Pirates of the Caribbean if you're curious), but hopefully I'll have the next chapter up soon. Happy Independence Day weekend if you're in the U.S.! If not, Have a Happy Weekend anyway! ^_^**_

_**Romania Black**_


	33. New Power, New Plan, New Face

I hope you all had a great Fourth of July weekend! Mine was really nice and relaxing to say the least, but now back to getting the story updated!

I am beyond thrilled that Karin's Zanpaktou was received so well by all of you! I had worried about how people would take it, since her sword is a crucial part of the story. So thank you for the warm comments!

I'm so happy I have readers who like this story. Many thanks to the following: **Lightening Dark, Nyxtolouloudo, Turtle-Chan in Blue **(haha! The baby/shark joke is really funny, but I actually already decided what Shou's animal form is going to be...but to reveal it now would be...well, pointless. haha! Feel free to keep guessing though), **RogueSama **(Thank you! I always thought a desert would work for Karin. And we do kind of see Yoruichi's reaction here, so hoorah), **StormCrowley **(I'm glad you liked the breakfast scene, as for her Shikai, Leta gives the translation this chapter, and also, I am excited for you all to read when Karin first uses her zanpaktou...that's all I can say for now, except go to the chapter titled "_Urahara's Gift_" for Shou's _first _appearance...and you guessed it, Shou's daddy is of course our favorite candy shop owner! heh heh), **t.h.E.s.r. **(I'm glad you like Yakyuu's design! Also, the council thing will all be revealed soon...as for her being as strong as Ichigo...well, time will tell of course), **Shadow of the Fire **(Thank you! I hope this update was soon enough!) and **theloverofanime **(So many questions! haha! Well, here's the quick answers to them: Karin summoned her zanpaktou, but I don't think she was...ready...for the reitsu released. Meanwhile, Yoruichi and Leta were watching her meditation...and Shou. As for training, find out this chapter. As for the Ball...I'm SO ready to write the chapter about it...but it'll be this chapter and the next before we get to the Ball. Please be patient with me, haha!)

So many questions from last chapter! I hope that helped to answer them. In any case, this chapter took me a while to write, but it's fun because we see old faces and new faces!

Enjoy the chapter,

Romania Black

**Chapter Thirty-Three**

**Revealing isn't the same as Revelation**

Karin's arms were on fire; she felt as if the flesh was slowly charring all around her, yet she wasn't burning. On the contrary, it was as if a cool oil had ran slick across her skin, protecting her from the flames. Unable to face the overwhelming blackness and the curiosity as to what was going on, the young Shinigami opened her eyes.

Karin blinked. The blackness that had surrounded her was replaced with two faces, both looking down at her with differing expressions. Leta was smiling broadly, though it was a nervous, relieved smile. Yoruichi didn't seem nervous at all; quite the opposite she was grinning with a fire that matched the one Karin had felt on her arms.

"H-hey," Karin stammered, realizing they were no longer in the arena, but under a shade tree outside the Kamaguchi mansion. The weeping willow guarded the group from the blistering sun's heat, while allowing the summery breeze to pass through. Karin sat up, and suddenly noticed two things.

One, Shou was drooling on her wrist, smiling childishly at her. _Ew._

And two, she no longer was wearing her Shinigami robes.

She was dressed in Leta's blue kimono that she'd seen the instructor wear earlier that morning. Leta smiled sheepishly, "I'm glad you noticed. We were lucky that you and I are about the same size."

"Madame Kamaguchi...Yoruichi...where are my robes?" Karin sat up in place, as Yoruichi steadied her. She saw out of the corner of her eye her katana laying against a tree. "What happened while I was in my inner world?"

The two Shinigami looked at each other with mingled expressions.

"You know more than we do," Leta replied first. "I assume you met your zanpaktou spirit."

"Yeah," Karin smiled in spite of herself. "She told me her name."

"Really?" Yoruichi and Leta both cried out with an astonished smile, much to Karin's dismay. It was as if they didn't think she'd be able to do it. Then they calmed themselves before continuing. "Ah," Leta said casually, "Of course you did." Karin glared at her, but realized it wasn't worth being upset over.

"She was so," Karin was amazed at how mature and fiery her spirit had been, "It's difficult to place. She was like me...but a lot more...outgoing." That wasn't the right word, but it would do for now.

"That's no surprise," Yoruichi smirked, "What is a surprise is what happened when you summoned her."

"Wait," Karin blinked, looking at the were-cat, "I actually summoned her in...in here!"

"Oh yes," Yoruichi's smirked grew wider, "You called out...Yakyuu, is that it?"

Karin nodded. Leta giggled, "It means 'melting heavens' doesn't it? Interesting...some would say ominous," She eyed Karin playfully, "But I don't think so. Do you?" She looked to the other Shinigami.

"Not at all," Yoruichi's eyes gleamed, "It's a very fitting name for its abilities."

"I don't understand," Karin interjected, "What the Hell happened while I was in inner world? Where are my...robes?" She suddenly wondered if it had something to do with Yoruichi's smirk and her zanpaktou. A dreadful idea popped into her head, and she involuntarily crossed her arms at her chest.

"Ah," Leta looked at Karin's face, "She realized."

"Yes," Yoruichi looked as if she was going to laugh, "Karin, I would suggest you refrain from calling out your zanpaktou for the time being...at least until we find you a couple extra uniforms to wear."

"You mean-"

"When you called it out," Leta informed her, "Or what we thought you were doing, your body...well, it...erupted into flames." She said this statement as tenderly as one could, which was not very much.

"What?" Karin's eyes widened in shock.

"It was something similar." Yoruichi nodded, "It appeared as if the reitsu from your sword engulfed your being, causing it's ability, to create fire from what we could gather, to completely be of use to every angle of your figure." Her eyes were golden slits, "Of course, your...robes...weren't ready for the impact of your reitsu."

"So," Karin let this sink in, "I can turn...into fire?" She felt her face redden, "And I was...oh my gosh!" _How embarassing!_

"It's okay," Leta reassured her, waving her arm dismissively, "Really. You're so innocent," She giggled, "The point is, until we understand, and you understand, more about your zanpaktou, I'd refrain from using it in public."

"We had no idea this would occur," Yoruichi added. "It's interesting to say the least."

"Where does that leave our training?" Karin was on her feet, the kimono draped snugly over her body. "We still have a lot of time to train."

"Oh no worries," Leta grinned, as Yoruichi grabbed her son off the ground and dusted off his tiny orange jacket, "We can still teach you some basic Kido spells for defense and do some endurance training," Leta saw Karin's face drop at the mention of Kido and gave a little smirk as she leaned forward, "The Kido spells of course, that the rest of the class are _not _learning."

This made Karin's face light up, "Really! Secret Kido?" Things seemed to be looking up from this situation.

This sensation Karin had suddenly felt lasted about three seconds.

"Secret Kido," a deep, solemn voice echoed across the mansion grounds, "I do hope you're not referring to forbidden Kido."

Karin knew that voice. And knowing it sent chills down her spine as she felt her back stiffen straight. Leta looked less than happy to hear it as well, but Yoruichi; her golden eyes were wide and alert, like a cat sensing prey. Shou was oblivious to the voice, but made a small wimper as a large swell of wind gushed through the weeping willow.

There was no point in turning around, because she knew who was behind her, but she suddenly felt another presence with the group, so she twisted to see who this spiritual pressure belonged to.

Captain Kuchiki was walking stoically towards them, a Shinigami uniform draped in a folded format over his arm. Karin felt herself blush, as she gave Leta an angry glance. Leta shook her head defensively,

"I told him to send Renji," She sounded upset herself, the first time Karin had really seen her without a smile. It made her look years older.

"This could be for the better," Yoruichi seemed absolutely thrilled that he was here, "It saves us a trip to go tell him about Karin and the Summit Ball."

"Still," Leta gave an exasperated sigh.

Beside Captain Kuchiki was a woman, who looked in her late thirties. She was almost as tall as the captain, with a mature, curvy body dressed in a dark purple kimono with magenta marigolds across it, identical in design to the one Karin was wearing. She wasn't wearing a Shinigami uniform with it though, but still carried a silver sword sheath at her side. It was engraved much like Leta's.

The woman and Byakuya approached the quartet (Shou seemed more interested with a butterfly on Yoruichi's shoulder than the two new guests) with equally regal auras around them. Karin could tell this new woman was a Noble, just by the way she held herself and moved with such grace and serenity. _Could she be-?_

"I thought I asked your Vice-Captain to bring those," Leta's words interrupted Karin's inner question. She was forcing her voice to be kind, but Karin could feel the contempt behind her words, "You didn't have to make the trek all the way here."

Byakuya seemed to take silent delight in seeing Leta so upset, his face forming a smug almost-smirk, "I hadn't been to the Kamaguchi manor in nearly half a century," he offered, "So when my lieutenant informed me that's where you were, I decided to make a personal venture." His eyes narrowed on the instructor, "And here I had assumed you had gone to the Squad Seven barracks." His tone was that of a challenge. Karin flinched.

Leta gave him an exasperated look, as if talking to him was boring her, "Please, Captain Kuchiki," She flicked a strand of her golden hair, "Would I be so bold as to treat a guest and student to the rigid conditions of my squad?" She tilted her head, giving him a sly look, "What kind of teacher and hostess do you take me for, Captain?"

"Leta," The woman beside her frowned, her brows furrowed in a displeased manner. Now that she was closer, Karin could take a better look at her face.

She looked nothing like Leta. She was tall, curvy with a very large bossom, and her hair was a dark green, the sides cropped at an angle, but the rest of her hair in long braids that were wrapped intricately together. Her face was round and her skin pale; highlighting her delicate demeanor. Her eyes were grey, the same shape as Leta's, but that was their only similarity. She appeared the exact opposite Leta, but somehow Karin knew that this was the sister her instructor had talked about earlier.

"That is terribly rude, sister," The woman said softly, in a very disappointed parental fashion, confirming Karin's suspicions.

"Apologies, Lalya," Leta bowed her head slightly, looking very much like the child that had broke her parent's favorite vase and while playing baseball in the house. Karin wondered how much age difference there was between them.

Byakuya was now glaring at Yoruichi, who was cuddling her son. "I see you are assisting Miss Kurosaki with her..._class projects_," The way he said it with such disgust caused Layla to turn her head in surprise towards the Captain, "along with your...son I see."

Yoruichi grinned, "I'm actually just visiting," She bounced her son playfully, "Shou and I came to see Aunt Leta, didn't we?" She cooed to her son, who drooled happily. Byakuya looked furious. "Leta has asked us to come by several times now," She gave Karin a gleeful look, "Getting to see Miss Karin was a delightful bonus."

Karin was amazed that someone as terrifying as Captain Kuchiki had no affect on the cat woman whatsoever. Even her son seemed at ease. _How does she do it?_

"I see," Byakuya had no other reply he could offer to her statement. Karin could feel the pounding in his spiritual pressure. He was upset that her answer had differed from what he wanted to hear.

"I was coming back from the Summit meetings," Layla changed the subject rather abruptly, causing all eyes to be on her. "I happened to cross Captain Byakuya Kuchiki and offered him to come into the courtyard." She glanced down at Karin, "He mentioned that we had another guest. I assume it is you?"

"Um, yes," Karin held out her hand, feeling slightly awkward, "My name is Karin Kurosaki. It's nice to meet you."

The woman tenderly grasped Karin's hand, but the young Shinigami was amazed at the grip this woman had. "It is a pleasure to meet you," She bowed her body politely. Karin could suddenly tell she was very old despite her appearances. "I am Layla Kamaguchi, Second clan leader of the Kamaguchi family."

"Speaking of the Noble Summit Ball," Leta was steering the conversation back in her court, "I was actually about to finalize plans with Miss Kurosaki about her attendance."

"What?" Byakuya's eyes were wide and angry. It was obvious he was against this entirely.

"Oh?" Layla seemed more open to the idea, but very skeptical. "This commoner is attending?" Karin felt like glaring at Layla. _Commoner? She's talking just like the Captain! _And she wondered if all nobles talked like this.

"That's impossible," Byakuya narrowed his gaze, "She is not a Noble." He said this with smug satisfaction. Karin wanted to glare at a lot of people she was around right now.

"Obviously," Leta flicked a piece of hair away, "but _you _of course know that a Nobleman or Noblewoman can take a person from outside nobility."

"Leta," Layla cautioned again, and Karinw as glad. Byakuya looked as if he was going to jump on Leta and strangle her at the mention of this.

Leta chose not to apologize this time. "I'm saying that Miss Kurosaki has been invited to the Summit Ball-"

"By whom?" Byakuya was surely going to destroy whoever had offered Karin a free ride there.

Leta grinned viciously, "My brother Lyall."

There was an unmistakable silence that ripped through the willows. Byakuya looked stunned and flabbergasted, his eyes wide and mouth held half-open in surprise. Yoruichi looked positively anxious to see what was going to happen next, but was still looking at Leta with a half-surprised look of her own. Karin was about to flop on the ground at the unexpected answer, while Layla looked highly confused.

"Lyall is taking...this girl?" Layla looked far from convinced.

"We corresponded this afternoon," Leta smiled, pointing to the air, "Hell Butterfly."

Yoruichi grinned, taking this opportunity to chime in, "Lyall hasn't taken a date in several Balls has he?"

Layla looked at the cat woman with a sigh, "No, he's such a recluse." She eyed Karin, "Which is why I find this arrangement curious."

"I figured it would be good for brother," Leta smiled, "For him to have some...fresh...contact," She gave Karin a playful poke in the ribs. Karin didn't exactly appreciate the joke.

Layla leaned over and gave Karin a unsettled glance, "But she's not of age. She's so young." Karin didn't like this statement at all. _What? Does she think I'm going to marry him or something?_

"It's not a romantic invitation," Leta quickly interjected, much to Karin's relief, "He just needs someone to chat with...help him get out of his recluse funk. I decided I'd play matchmaker," She gave Layla a sincere apologetic look, "I'm sorry if I seemed deceitful sister."

Layla gave the first smile Karin had seen her give. Much like not smiling made Leta seem years older, the smile on her sister's face made Layla appear in her twenties.

Byakuya was furious, that was plain to see. "This is an outrage."

"Captain Byakuya Kuchiki," Layla slowly rose back to her full height, "I think that having my brother company for this Summit Ball will be beneficial for him. I agree, letting Miss Kurosaki attend would be wise." The tone in her voice seemed to finalize everything. At least it was powerful enough to silence Byakuya Kuchiki, something Karin thought she'd never see.

Byakuya wanted to say something, but was holding back his words. Instead he looked at the uniform in his hand, and then to Karin. He turned to Leta, "You requested my lieutenant bring you these," He thrusted the uniform towards her. "Why?"

"Ah," Leta gave the uniform to Karin, "She happened to singe hers while we were working on her...class project," She paused just enough to subtly mock Captain Kuchiki, who recognized the gesture immediately and frowned, "and she needed some new ones. Though I daresay," She grinned, "She looks lovely in our clothing too." Karin blushed as she tightened the kimono around her.

"Next time I'd appreciate it if you advised my ward on what to bring beforehand," Byakuya warned, but Leta looked less than threatened.

"Duly noted," She said back, her eyes gleaming.

"I'm going inside," Layla announced suddenly, causing all eyes to go back to her. Karin was amazed at the ability this woman had to draw attention to herself when she wanted to. "If you need me." She gave Byakuya a fleeting smile, "It was lovely seeing you Captain Byakuya Kuchiki. Please do not make it a habit of becoming a stranger to us nobles."

The captain nodded; an odd action for him, "Thank you, Madame Layla Kamaguchi." He seemed strangely shy towards her, an emotion Karin didn't think the captain could posess.

Leta clapped her hands as she watched her sister leave them, "Well, this has been exciting seeing you Captain Kuchiki, but we would love to get back to our projec-"

"Listen well, Leta Kamaguchi," Byakuya had grabbed the front of Leta's robes and drew her towards him, leaning over to be at her height. Karin was about to go towards them, but Yoruichi's free hand gripped her shoulder to stop her from moving. "I do not know what you are planning, but I am against it. Do not trivialize me with your talks of classroom makeup work. I saw through your scheme the moment you came to retrieve the Kurosaki girl."

_Now I'm just 'Kurosaki girl?' Thanks...Kuchiki man, _Karin thought with a saddened sigh.

"Oh?" Leta smiled broadly, "Why would I even attempt to pull a scheme over the eyes of you Captain?" She sounded innocent, but Byakuya wasn't buying it.

"Just because you have the support of your elder, and of the Shihouin woman, that does not exempt you from the Gotei 13 reign." He let her go, "Your captain will hear of this."

"I'm taking him to the Summit Ball," Leta grinned mischieviously, "So I'll be able to tell him all about it myself."

Byakuya looked beyond disgusted now. Karin guessed he didn't like Leta's captain all that much. He turned to leave, deciding apparently he had nothing else to gain. "I will learn what you are up to, Leta Kamaguchi. Mark my words."

"Consider them marked," Leta said in a voice that Karin was sure only she heard.

"Bye, bye, Byakuya!" Yoruichi called out, waving her arm enthusiastically and holding Shou up with the other. "Say bye to Captain Byakuya Kuchiki darling!" She yelled to her son, who merely gurgled in response. "Next time maybe we'll be able to play!" She grinned in the most feline of manners.

Byakuya gave her the most icy stare that Karin had ever witnessed and flash-stepped away. She turned with a hint of worry to Leta, "Won't he get incenerated by the fence without one of you assisting?"

"Oh no," Leta smiled, "The trick isn't getting out of here; anyone can do that. You just need one of us to get _in_."

"That went surprisingly well," Yoruichi's smile faded slightly. "I had imagined he'd be more persistent."

"Well, he probably would have been," Leta commented, "Had my sister not been involved."

Yoruichi nodded, "Lucky us."

Karin couldn't contain herself. "So your sister, Layla," Leta turned to the young Shinigami, "She's pretty...um...she's been around here a while?"

Leta let out a loud laugh, "OH! Yes, she's over five hundred years old."

Karin thought she was going to collapse. "F-f-_five_...hundred?"

"She's one of the older souls in the Soul Society," Yoruichi noted with a respectful grin, "Most admire Layla for her strength as a noble and as a soul here in general."

It made sense to Karin, "So that's why Byakuya agreed to let you have me for a few days," She looked to Leta, "Because of your sister's position as a noble?"

Leta and Yoruichi gave each other a glance, then Yoruichi grinned slyly, "Not exactly."

"Eh?"

"My sister has never married," Leta explained, "Because she is extremely picky. But once, she was betrothed, or rather set to be betrothed to someone." She held her face in her hands with a reminescent smile.

"Who?" Karin tilted her head in confusion.

"Byakuya," Yoruichi said bluntly.

Karin nearly fell over in shock, "WHAT?"

"Oh yes," Leta's eyes closed in rememberance as she smiled deeper, "She was going to be engaged to him to combine our two noble houses. Unfortunately, Byakuya Kuchiki fell in love with someone else, and wanted to marry her instead."

Karin gave the two Shinigami a very doubtful look. Not only could she not see Layla with Byakuya, but for that matter she couldn't see Byakuya with _anyone_. She couldn't see her captain smiling, much less being in love. "Seriously?"

Yoruichi laughed, "Don't be so skeptical. Byakuya is good at hiding his emotions."

"In any case, my sister saw that Byakuya had no intentions of being her husband, so she convinced the clan leaders of both noble families to cancel their betrothment."

It all made sense to Karin now, "So he could marry the other woman?"

"Yes," Leta nodded, "The clan leaders can directly influence the rest of the other clan members. It's a system of power amongst nobility. So to gain their approval of vetoing something as serious as marriage is to a clan is a great feat."

"As such, Byakuya has been indebted to Layla Kamaguchi ever since," Yoruichi smirked. Apparently the idea that Byakuya was at someone else's mercy was one that made her extremely happy.

"Enough of Byakuya though," Leta added, with a quick giggle, "Let's teach you some Kido, shall we? Yoruichi, will you be able to assist?"

The cat woman hugged her son and smiled, "Of course. I can probably teach you a nice flash step too if you'd like."

Karin nodded her head curtly, "Please!" The idea of moving as fast as Yoruichi was definitely one she'd welcome.

"Good," Leta seemed happy that this was working out, "We haven't a moment to spare now that we've wasted enough time today."

"Madame Kamaguchi...err, Leta," Karin stared at her instructor, "Thank you. For all of this." She knew it was cheesy, but it had to be said now. "Without you or Miss Yoruichi, I don't know what I'd-"

"Don't mention it," Leta waved her arm dismissively, as if embarassed. "Listen, Karin, we are just as eager as you are to understand what the Council is planning. And we both care for your well-being. This is the least we can do."

Karin smiled and nodded, "Earlier, you were so quick with an answer to Byakuya's questioning...did you prepare for him coming?"

"We had a hunch he would try and stick his nose into our business," Leta grinned darkly, her eyes twinkling, "Of course, Byakuya Kuchiki forgot I'm good at three things: fighting hand-to-hand combat, creating elaborate styles for long hair, and," She giggled, "Finding loopholes to the law."

_**I hope the end wasn't too sloppy. I was trying to hurry this along so it'd be ready to post for today. I'll try to have the next chapter up as soon as possible! Thank you for reading!**_

_**-Romania Black**_


	34. Running Into Trouble

Wow. So this chapter... took less time than I thought to write, and is longer than I intended, but I like it. A LOT of stuff is happening, and we're introducing TWO new characters to the story. I'm excited for you to read their parts in this chapter; they're going to be regulars in the story...if you like them that is!

You guys have really made my week brighter with your support for the last chapter! I hope you like this one. Special thanks to Reviewers/Readers:

**Garnet-AsianAngel **(Karin's adjusting pretty well, but Byakuya is being a bit mean to her. Then again, he hates her brother, so that's only natural. He may warm up to her...if she proves she's different than Ichigo to him), **Meresdreams **(Thank you! I hope you like where it goes this chapter!), **Casunny123**, **StormCrowley **(Karin will be getting some help with her uniform "problem" soon. As for Leta and Layla, they have an interesting relationship. I look forward to writing about Layla, and their family as a whole!), and **theloverofanime **(Byakuya and Karin will learn more about each other as the story goes. As for Shou, just WAIT 'til we get to the Summit Ball...oh, and as for Lyall, you'll see soon enough. Hitsugaya jealousy? Where? ^_-)

On a final note, I have some fanart for the upcoming Noble Summit Ball Chapter. Let me know if you'd like to see it!

Enjoy the chapter,

Romania Black

**Chapter Thirty-Four**

**We Rush into Danger  
Because we Cannot  
Rush towards the Truth**

Karin glanced at her wrist, wishing it had a watch attached to it. Then, she'd be able to tell when today's Soul Reaper Combat class would be over. She sighed, no matter how hard she tried, no watch would materialize on her skin.

Leta hadn't been teaching class the last two days. Apparently, the Noble Summit Ball required all nobles to attend at least a few days of the planning. Luckily, Leta had been able to train Karin another day with Yoruichi before she was summoned. The cat woman hadn't been called yet, but she said it would only be a matter of time before she was. The Ball was only a few days away.

They hadn't accomplished as much zanpaktou training as Karin wanted, but considering that they hadn't figured out how to fully explain what her sword did, they had to put off further exploration. Instead, Yoruichi had taught Karin a few basic flash steps, while Leta had instructed her in a few of her favorite Kido. Karin didn't quite grasp the concept of Kido, but she learned that if you placed yourself like you were staring into a dark circle, it made the spells easier to cast.

"You'll be learning that next semester!" Leta had cheerfully added.

Karin couldn't wait. As for Leta's replacement, Karin couldn't stand him. He was a buff, muscled man with white spiky hair and dark beady eyes. He practically yelled every word he said and was a show off, constantly pulling out his own sword to demonstrate. Karin hated everything about him; she guessed he might have been a gym teacher in his former life.

The only saving grace to keep Karin from going completely mad in the class was the student she'd been partnered with to help get ready for the combat examinations that would be in the late fall and early winter. Her partner hadn't been too eager to work with her, but they didn't really have a choice. He had joined late as Karin had, and now they were the only two not fully caught up with lecture notes in the class.

He was a little taller than Karin, with a very loose fitting uniform that overwhelmed his stick thin frame, bony elbows, and scrawny arms. He had a nervous habit of scratching his side whenever he was startled, which was almost everytime Karin said hello to him. She wondered how he even saw her in the first place; his pale orange hair was a frazzled shag that hung over his eyes, making them completely invisible. In fact, all Karin could see was the very edge of his nose and his mouth, which was always a frown or solemn expression.

_What a serious guy,_ had been her first thought about him. He seemed to take his studies seriously though, so she was happy they were partners. She knew she wouldn't have to pull more than her own weight with homework.

After class, Karin gathered up her books and met her partner outside the door. He was neatly arranging his textbooks in a navy knapsack he carried around with him.

"Hey," Karin smiled, satisfied when she saw his hand reach involuntarily to his side, "Enjoy class, Hisoka?"

The boy's frown was set deep, "I hope you're joking, Karin." His voice was soft, but seemed to always have a hint of cynical sarcasm behind it. Karin found it unique, and pretty enjoyable.

"I can't stand it in there, are you kidding?" She huffed, "He's the worst."

Hisoka's frown let up slightly, "I could think of worse," He sighed, "But he's fairly full of himself." He adjusted the knapsack to lay across his shoulders, "Are you busy this weekend? We should work on our project for when Madame Kamaguchi returns."

Karin smiled sincerely but shook her head, "I'd love to work on it but...I'm kind of booked up this weekend." She thought it better not to mention the Ball. "Is that okay? We can work on it next week if you want."

"Sure," Hisoka's face had fell a little, but he didn't seem crushed. "I'll catch you later in Kido Class, Karin." He turned and started to walk slowly down the hallway. Hisoka didn't seem to be the one to pry into matters that weren't his business, an aspect Karin couldn't have been more grateful for this weekend.

Karin's classes went fairly quick, to her liking, and in no time at all she was heading back to Squad Six's barracks. As she topped the hill leading up to the Division's entrance gates, her mind was filled with several ideas and questions.

_I wonder what we're eating tonight? Last night was pretty good...hmm, I wonder if those new robes are in my room yet. Renji promised he'd get me a couple more pair. Speaking of which, I wonder if he told Rukia-_

"Yo," Renji called out from the bottom of the hill, his hand cupping to make his voice louder. Karin waved with a smile and ran down the hill to catch up to him. He lowered his hand, giving the young Shinigami a pleasant expression. "Class okay?"

"Yeah," Karin caught her breath with a grin, "I was just thinking about you."

Renji gave her an awkward expression, "Eh?"

Karin chuckled, "No, no, not like that. I was wondering if you found out anything from Rukia yet." She straightened, stretching her arms over her head.

Renji gave the young Shinigami a very satisfied smirk. She knew the answer before he even said it, "You bet!" Earlier, Rukia had asked Renji to go to the Summit Ball with her. Apparently Vice Captains were not typically invited; only Captains. Rukia was related to nobility by marriage though, so she was more than obligated to go, and needed a date, so... "She's wearing purple, in case you were wondering."

Karin tilted her head in confusion, "Why would I?"

Renji looked somewhat speechless. "Erm, girls just usually want to know that kind of stuff." He scratched his neck with an exasperated expression. "Then again...you don't strike me as the girly type."

"Never have been," Karin shrugged and the two walked inside the Squad Six gates.

Rikishi was quick to meet them. Karin liked Rikishi a lot; unlike almost everyone else with the exception of Renji, Rikishi was very fun-loving and an open-minded guy. He wasn't snobby at all, in fact, Karin was sure had he been alive in the Real World, she would have loved to have him amongst her friends and on her soccer team.

"Hey," Karin smiled.

"Hey," Rikishi stumbled quickly towards them. His clumsy nature was pretty funny to the young Shinigami. It was great having someone that seemed so..._normal_, like her. At least, closer to her age in personality and maturity.

Rikishi brushed his long, straggly black hair out of his eyes, along with the braid of three beads; each of them a different primary color. "Karin! Uhm," He eyed Renji with slight nervousness, "Can I talk to Karin?" His tone implied _alone. _Karin didn't know what to make of this urgency in his voice. It was kind of unlike his nature. Nonetheless, Renji nodded his head, a suspicious look still gracing his features.

"Sure. I'll leave you two," He gave a suspicious look to Rikichi, then grinned subtly, "I'll see you around, Karin," The lieutenant called back, heading towards the Mesh Hall. _I didn't think she was his type, _Renji thought casually to himself as he walked away.

Rikishi waited until Renji was out of sight before turning back to a very confused looking Karin Kurosaki.

"What's wrong, Rikishi?"

"I heard some rumors around the barracks today," Rikishi said, not looking directly at her, "You went off with Miss Kamaguchi a few days ago didn't you?"

Karin felt her body freeze. _Does he know?_ She thought frantically,_ How could Rikichi know about my zanpaktou? Did Byakuya find out? Did Leta tell anyone? Yoruichi-_

"She fought the Captain, didn't she?" Rikishi interrupted her thoughts. Karin decided not to make assumptions too soon.

"Uhm, no," She answered, trying to pretend like she was recalling the past, "Actually she broke up a sparring between the Captain and...," _What was his name? The other captain? _"Uhm, the other Captain who was visiting." She smiled nervously.

Rikishi nodded, understanding, "Ah, I see. So the others were lying a little. They said she fought the Captain too. Oh well," He leaned towards Karin, as if telling her a secret, "The truth is, I heard she made a bet to fight Captain Kenpachi Zaraki on her own squad's grounds."

Karin smiled, a sigh of relief escaping her. _So he doesn't know about Yakyuu. _It was harmless rumors being spread around the Division. "Yeah, she promised that captain she'd fight him if he'd leave the barracks."

"Well, I figured I'd let you know, since you seem closer to her than the others here," Rikishi whispered, "She's fighting him today apparently."

Karin's eyes widened. _Had it already been a week? Surely not..._ "Really? Today?" _After meeting for the Summit Ball naturally._

"Yeah, in about an hour if they were telling the truth. I was hoping you'd get back here before it started," Rikishi gave Karin a serious look, "You wanna go watch?"

Karin didn't have a clue this was coming. She stared at him with a blank expression. "What? Can we...do that?" She was certain the Captain would not approve. Not one bit.

"We're not supposed to," Rikishi's face was grim, "But a couple of us have snuck out before to go watch Squad Eleven battles. This would be about the same."

"And you know where this other Division is?" Karin raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Oh yeah," Rikishi nodded with a little more enthusiasm, "It's near Squad Nine and Squad Eleven's. It's not hard to find. If we left now, we could get there in about thirty minutes, watch some of the fight, and be back in time for dinner."

"And why would I want to watch?" Karin was being enticed by this entire scheme, but she didn't get why Rikishi was so deadset on seeing the brawl.

"Oh, well," the young Shinigami gave her a bashful glance, "I figured you wanted to see your teacher fight...and...I really was hoping the Captain of Squad Seven would show up. I've never seen him before, and I've heard...he's someone worth seeing." His eyes didn't look at Karin's.

Karin mulled it over. Rikishi didn't look much like a risk-taker or a trouble maker, but this action was sure to get them in trouble. Her knees shook a little at the thought of Byakuya in their faces if they were caught. Then again...to see Leta in action...

_You only live once, right? _"Okay, let's do it."

Rikishi actually looked surprised, "Really?" His face broke into a childish grin.

"Lead the way," Karin smiled back.

The run there wasn't a bad one. The grass seemed to grow shorter as they grew closer to the Squad Seven barracks. The clouds were white against the gray-blue sky that was starting to grow pinker as the sun sank into the West. Karin and Rikishi made it to the outer edge of the grassline, ducking into a group of trees and looking to where Karin assumed the gates were to the Seventh Division barracks.

"What now?" She turned to him, since he'd had more experiences sneaking onto battlefields.

"Usually, the battle arena is towards the back," Rikishi noted, pointing towards the gates to the Seventh Division. "We can follow the gates and hopefully find a way to get on top and sneak a peek at the fight."

Karin nodded. The two followed the treeline as far as it would lead them, then made their way quickly across to the outside of the gates. There seemed to be no one on duty watching them.

"Are they all watching the fight?" Karin asked, mostly to herself.

Rikishi didn't notice that, "I don't think so. They're probably eating. Come on," He motioned her to follow him alongside the gates as they ran towards the back of the Division walls.

Karin suddenly felt the air around her grow tense. The spiritual pressure was thickening around them. She had known that feeling before; when Byakuya and the other Captain had been battling. "We're close," She said with an eager expression. Rikishi nodded, but he didn't look as eager as before. In fact he was looking rather sick. "You okay?" She asked him, but he nodded smiling nervously.

The white walls around the Division were smooth as stone, without anywhere to really grasp ahold of to climb. Luckily, Rikishi spotted a way in.

"We'll climb these trees and jump over if no one's watching." He pointed to the cluster of dark green trees near them. Their branches hung over almost touching into the barracks. "In any case, we'll be able to see the battle."

"Good idea," Karin smirked as the two quickly leapt into the thick branches of the nearest tree. Rikishi let Karin go first, so she could see better. The two nestled on top of a large branch that was jutting out just enough so they could get a look into the arena. Karin was glad that they hadn't gone further.

Leta was standing face to face with Captain Zaraki, which was an almost funny sight considering she was so much shorter than him. Their spiritual pressures were equalized at the moment. Karin shuddered; his was a yellowish skull looking like death itself. Hers was a light blue, in the shape that Karin noticed appeared to be a wolf. The pressures almost seemed like entities themselves, bouncing off one another as the two Shinigami faced eye to eye. Karin realized she could hear what they were saying; the sound was echoing well enough off the arena walls.

"I've wanted to fight you for a while now," Kenpachi grinned murderously, his visible eye gleaming. "The infamous combat instructor."

"It's a shame," Leta gritted her teeth into a grin, "I didn't have you as a student."

"A hundred years too late on your part," Kenpachi snapped in reply, with a harsh laugh.

"I didn't think you were that old," Leta's grin widened devilishly.

"I thought you were a Kido user," The Captain countered evilly, intending to strike a nerve.

It didn't seem to, at least not on the surface, "That department I leave to my siblings."

"GO KENNY!"

Karin nearly jumped and fell off the tree at the voice. Sure enough, at the edge of the arena Karin could spot Yachiru sitting on the sidelines, her pink hair sparkling in the fading sunlight. She wondered how such an energetic little girl had come in contact with such a fearsome man.

"Leta Kamaguchi, third seat," A rumbling voice grabbed Karin's attention. "Captain Kenpachi Zaraki. Are we set to begin?"

It belonged to a humongous, towering figure standing at the side in between the two combatants. It wasn't his threatening size and deep voice that made Karin stare with her mouth gaped open though. It was his face. The tall man had the face of a tan dog. _Or a wolf? Was it a fox?_ His face certainly didn't appear human.

"That's him!" Rikichi was just as wide-eyed as Karin, "That's the Captain of Squad Seven, Sajin Komamura!"

Karin stared. _Leta's taking him to the the Ball? I wonder what the nobles would say about that?_ She guessed that men with dog heads weren't considered a "sophisticated" sight, and realized perhaps why Byakuya had been disgusted earlier at Leta's mentioning of her guest.

"Clean fight, basic rules. No zanpaktou Shikai release," Captain Komamura continued with an eye on Leta, his dog ears twitching in the wind, "No _outside _interference." He looked directly at Yachiru with contempt, who stuck her tongue out at him.

"A good clean fight," Zaraki looked down with a twisted smile.

"A good clean fight," Leta repeated, smiling with sudden intensity.

The air broke out into almost a war cry of its own as their swords struck. The ground shook and Zaraki and Leta's swords seemed to be screaming at one another, a high pitched squeal in the air. Leta took the opportunity presented to leap up off the ground and spin to the left. Kenpachi seemed to sense the move and tilted his sword to connect with her, but she blocked the blade with her own and kicked him straight in the face, her foot colliding with his nose.

There was a violent crack as Kenpachi backed up, holding his face. Their swords swung at each other again, and when Leta backed up, he let go of his face and gripped his sword with two hands and swung at the earth. A violent wind of pressure knocked Leta backwards to the ground. She quickly rose to her feet.

Kenpachi's nose was bleeding, "I think you broke it." He didn't look angry though; on the contrary his twisted smile had become wider.

"Sorry," Leta grinned, "I'm more of a hand-to-hand lady than a swordsman."

"Ah no," He licked a dribble of blood from the corner of his mouth, "I love it."

He flew himself towards Leta and their swords danced, clashing against one another. Kenpachi reached to grab Leta's uniform, but she ducked under his reach and went to strike his knee. He blocked her attack with his sword, forcing her to use hers in defense.

Their parry back and forth went on for several minutes. Karin couldn't believe that Leta was keeping up so well with the Captain. Despite her size, she was moving fluidly with his movements. _Her size gives her leverage with speed, _Karin noted. She looked back to Rikichi and gave him a pitiful frown.

He looked green in the face, and she could sense that his limbs were shaking. _Maybe he can't handle the spirit pressure..._But then Karin wondered how she could if he couldn't.

"Are you okay?" She asked him after a moment.

"Are you?" Rikichi said through chattering teeth.

"Yes," Karin answered with a frown. Another slash of the two swords send out a shock wave of pressure. Rikichi flinched,

"Maybe we should go back," He said after a moment. It was clear he thought they were in over their heads now. "Captain Kuchiki will be mad if he finds us gone."

Karin couldn't argue with him there, and she certainly knew he couldn't last too much longer in the tree. But..._I want to see who wins! _Karin thought with a frustrated sigh.

"Listen, Rikichi," Karin gave him a serious glance, "You go back. I'm going to stay here."

The young Shinigami stared at her, "What? No! We go back together."

"I want to see the rest of the fight," Karin protested calmly.

"We're going to get in trouble! I took you out here, we saw them fight, now let's go back." Rikichi looked agitated at Karin, but she didn't care. He'd get over it.

"_You're _not going to get into any trouble," She started softly, "Because you're going back. I'll be right behind you," She looked into the arena. The dust was flying left and right. "They'll be done in a little bit." To be honest though, she didn't know if that was true or not. They could end up fighting all night.

"No they won't!" Rikichi seemed to be thinking the same thing she was. "Karin, look, I didn't take you out here for you to get-"

"Just go!" Karin had enough. _Can't he see I'm not going back no matter what he says?_ "I'm happy you took me here, but I'm not ready to leave. So go back before you get in trouble. I can take care of myself!" She yelled, agitation eating her voice.

Rikichi stared at her for a long moment, his face formed into a deep, angry frown. "No," He glared, "You can't, Karin." But he didn't say anything else. Rikichi jumped out of the tree and took off into the Western setting sun; back to Division Six.

Karin sighed, turning back to the fight. She knew he'd be mad at her the next couple of days, but she'd deal with it. Rikichi has the best intentions, but she didn't need his overprotectiveness now. _I'll apologize after the Ball, _Karin thought to herself, _He'll have let off some steam by then. _

Rikichi ran through the cluster of dark trees, getting ready to hit the grass when the Seventh Squad gates were out of sight.

_She's so stubborn! _He thought angrily as he ran towards the edge of the woods, _When Captain Kuchiki finds out she's gone, he's going to be so mad. And then he'll blame Renji, who'll blame me! _He groaned at the thought, _Vice-Captain Abarai will never let me talk to Karin again...he'll probably never talk to me again! Why did I take her there? Why didn't I just sneak out on my own and leave her behi-_

Rikichi's thoughts were abruptly silenced when he exited the treeline and collided straight into a person at the edge of the clearing.

"OW!" Rikichi let out a yelp as he fell to the ground. The figure he'd ran into didn't budge, but gave him a startled, surprised expression.

It was Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya.

The young Shinigami felt chills rush all over his body. He'd only seen the young Captain once before, but the image of the icy teal eyes still made the boy freeze. The captain of the Tenth Division was young, but terrifying to Rikichi.

"Um, um, um," he stammered.

"You're...from the Sixth Division," Toshiro narrowed his gaze. "I felt a presence in the woods and decided to investigate." He tilted his head as he looked down at Rikichi, "You're not exactly what I expected to find. Why aren't you at your barracks? It's almost sundown."

"I-I-I was going back now." Rikichi knew this wouldn't end well.

"Where were you coming from? And why were you running?"

_Damn, he's onto me, _Rikichi felt like he was being pushed into a corner, _Do I tell him about Karin? What do I say? Um..._

"Hello? Are you going to answer me?" Toshiro gave him a grim look of impatience.

Rikichi didn't know what else he could do, but tell the Captain the truth. _I'm dead if I lie to him...and maybe, maybe since he's not good friends with Captain Kuchiki, he'll let me go easy! Yeah...that's it!_

"I was coming back from Squad Seven barracks," Rikichi answered bluntly.

"Why were you there?" The Captain asked with a serious curiosity.

"Karin Kurosaki and I were watching the battle between Madame Kamaguchi and Captain Zaraki." _There. It's out now. Nothing I can do about it now..._

Hitsugaya gave Rikichi a blank, cold stare. The young Shinigami had no idea what the captain was thinking, but it didn't seem like a pleasant thought process.

"What?" Toshiro finally said with an almost dead tone. "Where is she?"

"She," _Ho boy, _"She didn't want to come back yet, so she's still at the barracks watching."

The captain gave Rikichi a look of disbelief, "You left her there? Is she with Captain Komamura?"

_Shit. _"Um, she's actually in a tree watching outside the arena. No one...knows she's there." It sounded even worse when he explained their situation verbally.

Toshiro looked at Rikichi as if he'd just tried to tell him the sky was purple, which oddly enough it was starting to look that way in the setting sun. After a moment of silence and a moment of Rikichi looking utterly red-faced from embarassment, Captain Hitsugaya finally let out a heavy sigh.

"Return to the Sixth Division, Shinigami," He said firmly, "I'm going to retrieve Miss Kurosaki."

Rikichi blinked, "Oh! Um, Okay." He quickly bowed his head and started to take off into the West, towards his Division, "Thank you, Captain Hitsugaya!"

Toshiro's back was turned to the young Shinigami, "I'm still telling your Captain."

Rikichi didn't make it three steps before falling over.

"What?" _I told him all that for NOTHING?_

"Let me ask you a question," Toshiro glared at him, his back still turned but his head tilted to see him, "And I won't tell Captain Kuchiki."

Rikichi would have gave his left leg for that not to happen at this point, "Anything. Ask me anything."

"Was it Karin's idea to go see the battle?"

Rikichi didn't understand why the question was important, but before he could think about the answer he blurted out, "No, I told her we should go." Suddenly, he realized what he was saying and slammed his hands to his mouth. _Whhhyyy? Why didn't I say it was her fault?_

"Huh," Toshiro actually smirked, "That's a surprise." He turned away, "Go. I won't tell your Captain." And with that, he took off into a sprint and was out of sight.

Rikichi stared at the dust the captain had left, looking utterly dumbfounded.

_I...I...I'm not in trouble?_

_**Well, Rikichi isn't, but Karin might be! I'm sorry I had to cut off this chapter, but it needs to stop now, otherwise it's going to be 15,000 words! haha, next chapter is the LAST CHAPTER before the Noble Summit Ball! I'm really excited for you to read it! It'll be up in a few days.**_

_**Thank you so much for all the support! I'm so happy to have great readers like you!**_

_**-Romania Black**_


	35. Rescue Into Flames

Welllllll,

Lots to say. So I have a few notes from last chapter I'd like to present before we get onto the Chapter at hand:

1. I realized this after I posted the story, but I misspelled Rikichi's name about seventy times. That's what proofreading at 1 am does. Never do it. Anyway, I'm sorry. His name is spelled RIKICHI if you were curious. I'm currently using my "Get out of Jail Free" card with the grammar police.

2. Sorry if the battle scenes last chapter were...bleh. I usually don't write fights, so I'm still practicing. Reviewer Stormcrowley gave me some good suggestions though, so hopefully you'll find the fight this chapter...a little better! ^_-

3. The rating T for TEEN comes in to play...uhm A LOT this chapter! Expect Violence, Blood, and Excessive Swearing...um, because Kenpachi's involved! Just letting you know ahead of time!

and

4. I have Homemade Fanart! I have two pieces so far. I tried to put the links on here, but they didn't work. (?) BUT you can go to and look up "Romania Black" and I have them on my profile. One picture is a SPOILER for next chapter...so be ready for that. I hope you like them!

Lastly,

_**Special Thanks to Reviewers/Readers: **__**(So many good ones this week I had to separate them!)**_

**Kaishei **(Thank you for the Fave!)**  
theloverofanime **(I'm glad you like that Hitsugaya's back! Also, I've wanted to have Rikichi in the story for a while, but not until last chapter did he have time to shine. He's totally Renji's little brother, and hopefully he'll be back in future chapters. I'm glad he got a good reception!)  
**Stormcrowley **(Two things about your great comments: one, yes, poor Rikichi; he had a little too much high powered Reitsu for one day around him. Two, I'm very grateful for your comments about music in writing the battle scenes! I usually listen to folk music oddly enough when I write, but not this chapter! haha, I turned on some Marilyn Manson, oddly enough. bwaha. As for fighting styles, that's so true. In this chapter, we'll see a glimpse that Leta definitely is like Kenpachi when it comes to sparring.)  
**ticking-clocks8 **(Thank you! Also, I hope you like the fanart!)  
**Wolfsbane706 **(Thanks for the detailed and helpful review! I keep up pretty faithfully with the manga and anime, which makes it hard for me to write about characters whose fates are still relatively unknown..*cough cough*Rangiku*cough cough* Gah, anyway, I plan to introduce as many characters to Karin, especially at the upcoming ball. As for Captain Commander, I don't want to reveal too much on him/her yet, since the manga could squash my dreams. -_- I will be looking to the Bleach Wiki more for Kido info and stuff like that I haven't memorized haha)  
and **Garnet-AsianAngel **(Yes, getting lectured by Toshiro is no fun...but as for what happens, you'll have to read below!)

Thank you for all the support in this story! I only hope to hear your ideas/comments, as they are SO inspiring and helpful to me in writing this.

Enjoy the chapter,

Romania Black

**Chapter Thirty-Five**

**Curiosity kills the Cat.  
Luckily it has eight more lives.**

Leta appeared to have an upper hand on the battle when it started, her spiritual pressure matching Kenpachi's with perfect precision, amplified by her nimble agility as she punched and kicked all of the tall, boulder-muscled man's weak points. She had kneed his neck, scraped the flesh behind his knees, even managed a punch and slice with her sword to his under-armpit.

But her list of weak points was running out. And despite the red liquid dripping down his muscle-honed body, he was still standing.

Karin had noticed that their fighting styles were eerily similar. Both relied on their blades to make the initial injury, but were not afraid of also using their other limbs to stop or distract the opponent. Leta and Kenpachi had a habit of holding their swords at random moments with both hands, which seemed to allow the blade to gain power and momentum temporarily.

Leta ducked under Kenpachi's sword as it swung down towards the ground, slamming her foot against his shin as she dove under. The force caused the taller captain to stagger a step, giving Leta an opening to run her sword into his calf. Karin flinched as the blade sank cleanly into his flesh. But to her shock, Zaraki merely laughed and used his other foot to slam Leta in the stomach. The kick forced Leta to retreat from his body, dragging her bloodied sword out with her. She rolled across the ground but quickly gained her footing, kneeling in the dust as Kenpachi examined the wound. He didn't look too concerned, and started stalking back towards her, his leg barely carrying a limp.

"Come here," Zaraki growled, as his sword grazed the ground like a shark approaching its prey.

Leta jumped in the air and used Kenpachi's shoulder as a brace, leaping from it to his back, where she spun and went to sink her sword into his shoulder. But the captain anticipated her move and instead spun the other direction, now behind her, he moved the sword to slice her from behind. Leta dodged the blow and turned to run her sword into his arm. Zaraki knocked the blade away with his free hand and drove his own sword into her leg. Leta let out a cry of pain, the first during the fight, and retreated a few steps, blood leaking down her robes. Karin winced; Leta didn't look like she could take the same amount of pain as the other captain.

"Quit running away," Kenpachi looked angrier, as he dove jutting his sword left and right, trying to impale her. Leta was dodging fairly well, but for some reason she was involuntarily clutching her sword from time to time with both hands, as if preparing to strike but then changing her mind and letting go to dodge Kenachi's reach.

_Why is she doing that? _Karin thought with a frown.

"I'm not running," Leta protested, but it was in a weak voice. She gripped the sword with both hands and rammed it into Kenpachi's blade. The two swords were clashed together, shaking violently in their weilder's hands.

"Bullshit," Kenpachi sneered.

The ground was strewn with small red lines, trails of blood from Leta making swirls in the dirt. Karin couldn't deny it, in a matter of minutes, Leta was starting to look on the losing side.

"Aww, she's about to lose."

Karin nearly fell out of the tree. She turned in surprise to see it was only Yachiru sitting behind her on the tree branch. Apparently the small pink haired girl had noticed Karin's presence.

"Y-you! How did you know I was here?"

"I sensed you," Yachiru answered bluntly. "Is Leta having as much fun as Kenny?"

As she said this, Kenpachi gripped Leta's arm and threw her towards the wall, slashing at her back as she was in midair. A splatter of blood erupted into the air.

"I doubt it," Karin answered soberly.

"That's too bad," Yachiru sighed with a bored expression, looking down onto the arena. "But she's no captain, so how could she beat Kenny?"

"There's really that much difference in power?" The question was more for Karin herself than Yachiru. The miniature pink-haired girl shrugged,

"I don't know. But she's about to die."

Karin's head spun around, "What? Die? I thought this was a clean fight? The captain said it was!"

Yachiru giggled, "It is a clean fight! Neither of them are cheating. But Kenny's probably gonna kill her. He gets really happy when he gets to fight to the death."

Karin felt a cold sweat on her brow, her face white. _Leta's fighting him because of me! And now...she's going to die because of me..._

"I have...I have to stop him from doing that," Karin couldn't believe she was saying the words. It seemed ridiculous. What could she do? _But if she dies-_

"Whatcha talkin' about, no boobs?" Yachiru tilted her head, "Doggy said we couldn't interfere."

Karin started towards the edge of the branch, where it touched the wall of the arena, ignoring her first comment, "I won't get in on the fight itself," She explained to Yachiru, "I'll just have to beg Captain Zaraki not to kill her."

Yachiru frowned, but there was amusement playing in her eyes, "I don't think he'll listen," She said in a sing-song voice.

It was a terrible plan, and Karin knew that he probably wouldn't listen. But then again, if she didn't and he killed Leta...not only would she not have a teacher or friend, but their plan to infiltrate the Ball may not even occur. And they'd already put too much at stake to risk it not happening.

Karin noticed that the Seventh Squad captain had disappeared completely from the arena as she touched down onto the edge of the stone wall. She also noticed no other Shinigami were nearby. _Why is no one watching this fight? _She wondered._ Maybe...maybe the captain knows she's about to die and is keeping his troops from watching..._

Kenpachi had grabbed the sword out of Leta's hands and threw it aside. Grasping her by the head, he tossed her into the air and gave her a swift kick to the stomach, sending her flying. Leta let out a huff and cough of blood as she smashed into the wall and fell onto her stomach, her head face down in the dirt. Her limbs twitched and a giant portion of her put-up hair had fallen down her backside. It was clumped at the small of her back but Karin could have guessed her hair as long as Leta was tall. Karin hit the ground, the dust settling at her feet.

_Leta! Please don't be dead. Please don't be dead. Not again. Please don't be dead!_

"Ah, not getting up, Kamaguchi?" Kenpachi looked disappointed, "Too bad-"

"Hey! The fight's over! Stop!" She called out, ignoring how ridiculous her voice sounded.

Kenpachi, who was about to lean over Leta's body to grab her, stopped in mid-step. His head turned slowly towards Karin, his face slack and his eye narrowed.

"Eh? Who the Hell are you?" He raised a thin eyebrow, eyeing her with annoyance.

"Oh, uh, I," Karin thought he knew her.

"Eh?" Kenpachi squinted and then his eye widened with recognition, "You're that broad from Byakuya's Division I saw the other day." He straightened, still standing beside Leta's prone body. "Heh, Whatcha want me to do, kid?"

"Don't kill her!" Karin yelled instantly.

Kenpachi gave her a devil's smile, as if about to torture her, "Who said I can't? She lost fair and square. Unless," He eyed her up and down, "You want to fight me in her place."

That was the _last _thing Karin wanted to do. "N-not really, um, sir. I just wanted you to not kil-"

"Wait," Kenpachi suddenly sniffed the air, his head erect and his eye darting like jumping jacks. There was a tense look about him. "I smell him. I smell that Kurosaki kid."

"Kenny!" Yachiru popped up from Karin's side, nearly scaring the skin off her.

"Shut up, Yachiru," Kenny growled, "I smell Ichigo Kurosaki nearby..."

Karin's eyes widened, _No way! Really?_

"But Kenny," Yachiru frowned, "That's just No boobs here!" She pointed at Karin angrily, "You're smelling her."

_What? _Karin's face fell. _So no Ichigo..._

"What are you babbling about?" Kenpachi was now facing Karin and Yachiru, "She's not Ichigo. She can't have his scent." Kenpachi scratched the side of his face. His eye narrowed on Karin, then, to her utmost horror, it widened as if he was remembering something crucial.

Karin felt her legs lock to the ground in sheer fear.

_Ohhh no. He wouldn't. _

"Wait. Yachiru, didn't we get some message from Central the other day-"

_Oh no. Oh no. Oh no._

"-sayin' that Kurosaki's brat sibling was here now?"

_Why am I in this arena? Just say no, Yachiru, just say-_

"Yeah!" Yachiru jumped up and down, pointing at Karin, "That's her!"

_I am the biggest idiot in the world. _

Kenpachi's wide eyes were suddenly followed by the most murderous, evil grin imaginable. His dark eye cast down a look of pure terror onto Karin.

"Ichigo's sister, eh? I fought your brother."

_Why did you come here, idiot?_ "Really?" Karin took a step back. "I'm sure it was a good fight." _There's no one here to stop him you moron!_

"Oh," Zaraki's grin widened. His teeth looked like shark's. "It was. I wonder if you'd put up a similar fight?" His sword was gleaming in his grip. Karin didn't want to find out if the edges were as sharp as they looked.

"Oh, I doubt it," Karin stepped back again, her face giving off a nervous grin, "He was much older than me, and had trained a lot longer-"

"I don't give a damn how long you've trained!" Kenpachi roared, his eye almost glowing, "It's in your BLOOD! The will to fight! To fight me now!" He raised his sword, his yellow aura surrounding his body like a plague. Karin forced herself not to faint at the pressure.

_You should have left when Rikichi told you to. Now you're going to die you idiot! He doesn't know how strong he is compared to you and he's going to kill you!_

Kenpachi was stomping towards her as she backed away, his sword raised high in the air.

"Running away too? They always run!" He roared angrily, swishing the blade from side to side, it's silver metal slicing through the air around him. Karin kept backing away in fright,

_This is it. You'll never get to see Ichigo, Yuzu, Goatbeard, Yoruichi, Jinta, Ururu, Urahara, Tessai, Rukia, Renji, Leta, Toshiro-_she felt a slight stab in her heart-_He'll hate you for this. For dying so stupidly. So easily. Momo's death will have been in vain-_

_"So then don't die, you fool."_

Karin, who had been nearly running towards the arena gates, stopped in her tracks. _Who was that?_

_"Me, dummy," _The voice was familiar, serious, but joking at the same time.

_Yakyuu?_

_"Duh. You have any other voices in your head I should know about?"_

Kenpachi stopped momentarily, eyeing Karin suspiciously. "What the Hell is she doing?" She looked like she was having a mental conversation with herself. He looked to Yachiru for an answer, who was eyeing her as well.

"Oooh, Ichigo did this before too, Kenny." Yachiru mused, "When you first fought him! I bet she's about to use some awesome special power!"

Kenpachi looked from her to Karin and gave a wicked grin, "Good. Let's see what she's got up her sleeves." This day was getting better and better.

_He's ridiculously strong! I have no chance, Yakyuu!_

_"You won't win with that attitude," _Yakyuu's voice griped_, "Look at him! Don't you remember what that Kamaguchi woman said? He can't call out his sword!"_

_Neither can I, remember?_

_"Oh you can call me out," _Yakyuu's voice said with glee_, "Just do it. No one's watching! Kick this bastard's ass and take revenge for the Kamaguchi woman! I'm fighting with you, remember?"_

She was right. They were alone. But did she really want Kenpachi to see her-

_"He won't see you," _Yakyuu interrupted,_ "Because I won't let him."_

It was risking possible embarrassment or death. And Karin wasn't about to choose the latter.

"I think she's done getting ready," Yachiru smiled widely and jumped out of Kenpachi's way. "Go Kenny!"

"It's about damn time," The captain smiled evilly, his grin taking up all of his face. He raised his sword to chest length.

Karin focused her eyes on Kenpachi, feeling a warmth growing inside her chest that was swelling to every inch of her body. Her skin had that cool oily feel to it again. Her crimson sword was searing at her side.

Meanwhile, Leta was slowly lifting her head off the ground, grabbing the side of her face and checking to see if it was bleeding. Luckily her head was clear. The rest of her, not so fortunate.

"Oh wow," Leta grinned with a soreness to her voice, "I haven't lost that bad in a while. Owwww, Zaraki's still one to give a beating." She suddenly realized where she was. "Wait-_Where'd Kenpachi go? _And that's when she saw him and Yachiru. And the person with a large growing red aura surrounding them. An aura that was shaped like a-

_That spiritual pressure...It can't be...Karin?_

The young Shinigami drew her hot sword from its sheath and thrust it in front of her, so the blade was flat and horizontal. Her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at Kenpachi in front of her, his sword ready to strike. He was taking great satisfaction in the lead-up to this moment, as if it was a taunt from an opponent.

_What is she doing? Didn't we just tell her not to- _Leta blinked angrily, and suddenly was sensing two spiritual pressures coming towards them. Her eyes widened as her mouth dropped open in surprise, _Oh no-_

Karin opened her mouth, "Surrender,-"

Leta jumped clumsily to her feet, "NO! Wait, Karin, Don't!"

"-YAKYUU!"

The sword instantly melted into ribbons of flames, the fire fusing with Karin's skin, it surged all around her. She felt as if she was becoming one with the fire itself, as if her power was taking control of her being, yet she was the puppet master. She held the strings to what it could do. The sword was completely gone now, but she felt as though...it was _part _of her.

_"Kick fire at him." _Yakyuu's voice echoed in her ear_, "Do it."_

Karin lifted her leg as if to kick a soccer ball and swiped the air. A flaming yellow-orange ball was sent flying towards Kenpachi, who was so stunned, didn't move to dodge. The ball collided with his shoulder and immediately erupted onto his skin. Instead of fire though, his shoulder was covered with a thick, oozing dark red liquid.

_"The fire will thicken upon impact with the enemy," _Yakyuu's voice stated proudly, _"Like-"_

"Lava," Karin whispered to herself.

"What the Hell?" Kenpachi turned to his shoulder, "What is this?" Whatever it was started to sear his flesh.

_Can I shoot this 'fire' from anywhere? _Karin asked in wonder, staring at her hands, which looked like they were set ablaze. She could barely see her actual skin through the thick flames.

_"Of course," _Yakyuu bragged_, "Try punching."_

"HIYAA!" Karin thrust her arm forward and punched towards Kenpachi. A fireball slithered from her fist and impacted with the captain's other shoulder, sending him backwards. He was still clutching his sword, but looked utterly stunned, an expression Karin had never seen the tall man wear.

"I did it!" Karin cried out. _This power! It's incredible! And...it's me doing it! It's us!_ None of this was Momo's old powers she'd loaned to Karin when she'd transformed Karin into a Shinigami.

_"Now," _Yakyuu's voice became heated, _"Let's defeat him! Take your-"_

"Bakudo 61: Rikujokoro!"

She couldn't move. Karin felt a pain in her abdomen from all sides. She looked down to see a rod of yellow light sticking out from her side. Baffled, she twisted her torso in place; there were six light rods coming from her body. "What is this?" She cried out in surprise. The flames couldn't break the light.

"It's a binding spell," the voice beside Karin answered coolly. Karin saw with horrified look Leta Kamaguchi, who was clutching her side with one hand, and had the other spell-casting hand raised in front of her. Leta eyed Karin sternly; it was the first time Karin had seen Leta look so...teacher-like. Karin gulped loudly, her eyes fearful.

"I-I-didn't think you-I had to-"

"I should have guessed you'd come watch," Leta let a sly grin slip across her face. "After we told you specifically-"

"You still breathing?" Kenpachi's voice roared with amusement from behind them.

Leta tilted her head playfully backwards towards the captain, "Who said we were finished?" She frowned, "I don't recall telling you to switch opponents."

Zaraki gave her a dark smile, then pointed to his shoulders, "This hurts like Hell, girl!" He tried to touch the lava but drew away, his fingers singed, " Hey Smiley," He gave Leta an agitated look, "tell that student of yours to get this shit off me!"

Leta let out a sigh, looking from the captain to Karin, "You've really made a mess, haven't you? We told you not to release your sword, but you just couldn't help it, huh?"

Karin gave Leta a look of disbelief, "He was going to kill you!"

"Do you really think my Captain would let him?" Leta's face was now registering a very uncharacteristic, disappointed expression. Karin felt her face redden at her own naiveness.

"I-I-"

"It's too late now," Leta frowned, looking past Karin's shoulders. "I'm going to release the binding spell, but I'd advise you not to go out of Shikai."

"Why?"

"Because you'll be exposed," Leta eyed Karin with a pitiful glance, "And we have company."

"What?"

Leta released the binding spell and Karin kept the fire surging around her. _Company? Her Captain? Oh no, _Karin glanced down. She couldn't see anything but fire. She knew the fire on her body didn't affect her own skin, so she touched her stomach and gasped. _There's no clothes! _Her face felt like it was on fire itself now.

"Exactly," Leta gave her a sympathetic sigh, seeing that Karin realized what had happened. "Don't worry, all I can see is your face. The rest is hidden in flames... luckily."

"Can nobody hear me, dammit?" Kenpachi roared, as Yachiru curiously touched the lava on his shoulder with a stick she'd located on the ground.

The heavy gates to the arena swung open loudly.

Leta sighed, _Hoo boy, this is going to be awkward. _The Academy instructor rushed to the gates, as Captain Komamura stepped into the arena, his captain's Haori swinging in the breeze. Next to him, paling in size, was to Karin's nightmarish horror, Captain Hitsugaya.

_You're kidding me, _Karin squeaked in her mind, and forced the flames to grow in intensity.

"Captain," Leta knelt at Sajin's feet, her head bowed.

The dog-faced man gave Leta a concerned glance, "You've bled considerably."

Leta lifted her face and smiled, "Ah, it's not too awful," She involuntarily clutched her side with her left hand harder, "What I should expect for challenging Zaraki without releasing." Her eyes turned to Hitsugaya, who was staring forward with a whitened, grave expression. "See anything you like, Captain?" She flirtaciously grinned.

"Is that," Toshiro's mouth was half-open, speechless, "Ka-Miss Kurosaki?"

"Ah," Komamura's voice was rumbling, "So that is her. I've wanted to meet the sister of Ichigo Kurosaki." His dog ears twitched slightly, "She can release her zanpaktou already. Interesting, wouldn't you say, Madame Kamaguchi?" Karin was surprised her superior used honorifics to a subordinate.

"Very," Leta noted, appearing oblivious and amused, when Karin knew good and well it was an act. "I had been knocked unconscious by Captain Zaraki and awoke to see her in this condition." She explained as they walked towards Karin and Kenpachi, who was yelling at Yachiru to back away from him while he had lava on his body.

"It is indeed curious," Komamura said in a concerned tone, only this form of concern differed from that which he'd shown Leta; it was much more ominous.

Leta interrupted him before he could continue thinking, "I need to help get the, err, lava it appears, off of Captain Zaraki, if I may Captain." She motioned to Kenpachi, causing both Toshiro and Komamura to look surprisingly from the Captain to Karin, who was still standing stationary and ablaze.

"Do as you need," Sajin said stoically, as Leta rushed to Kenpachi's side. Komamura towered over Karin. He was much taller in person and he even...smelled...like a dog. "Greetings, small sister of Ichigo," He spoke like an old man. Karin hoped he couldn't see her frown.

"It's a pleasure to meet you...Captain Komamura?" She restricted her hands to her side. "I'd shake your hand, um, Sir, but..."

The tall Captain gave her a puzzled look, "Can you not release yourself from Shikai?"

"Captain!" Leta called from a distance. She had her hands bent over the lava, which was now covered in a baby blue iridescent light. "Would care to come and assist me for a moment? I should be able to remove this now, but I need someone's help lifting it off."

Captain Komamura glanced from Karin to Leta. "Curious." He gave Karin a curt bow of his head, "Excuse me, young one." And Sajin walked towards Leta, Kenpachi, and Yachiru; leaving Toshiro and Karin standing next to each other, an awkward silence sprouting between them, with no noise but the crackling of flames around Karin.

Toshiro finally looked at Karin with an angered face, the corners of his mouth dragged into a permanent frown. "You do realize how much danger you've put yourself in?" He broke the silence. "From risking your freedom with Captain Kuchiki to risking your life with Captain Zaraki?" He looked at her incredulously, "Have you honestly made it your goal to challenge all the Gotei 13 Captains?"

Karin opened her mouth in protest and clenched her fists, "I'm sorry, Captain, but I didn't realize you'd become my caretaker." She glared at him, "I wouldn't exactly call the prison cell I stay in at Squad Six 'freedom' for one. Two, I _was _being an idiot but I thought Leta was in danger. I'm sorry to make you worry so much," She snapped with biting sarcasm, "And three, I hadn't originally planned to but maybe I _do _want to meet all the Captains! Is that any of your concern?"

The two shot icy stares at each other.

"Why are you here anyway?" Karin looked at him with an angry, yet slightly childish frown, "Stalking?"

Toshiro's eyes widened, "No!" He said defensively, then calmed himself. "Actually," He gave her a contemptous look, "I wasn't even coming here to begin with. I saw that Shinigami who brought you here and he told me where you were."

_Rikichi! _Karin's face fell, her heart crushed.

"Don't worry," Toshiro sighed, looking away as he saw her face crumble, "He's not going to be in trouble." He couldn't believe how obnoxiously naive she was. At the same time, staying mad at her was proving more difficult than he would have liked to admit.

Karin let the words sink in, realizing he'd let Rikichi go off the hook, and smiled to herself. "Thank goodness."

"There!" Leta clapped her hands together in triumph. The lava, which was now black, lay in a hardened pile beside Kenpachi. Komamura was staring at the charred remains of Karin's attack while Yachiru was asking 'Kenny' if he was okay. Karin stared at the captain's shoulders. They looked as if they'd been severely burned, the skin singed a dull grey around them. Karin gasped, _Was that because of me? _The answer was obvious.

"You'll need Captain Unohana to look at that wound," Leta observed, "It needs to be healed before any infection can settle into it."

"At least it's not weighed down anymore," Kenpachi noted, looking absolutely unaffected.

Leta returned to Karin's side, avoiding any further discussion of Karin's abilities, "It's a surprise seeing you here Captain Hitsugaya."

"I was told Karin was here without permission," Toshiro said professionally to Leta, who chuckled, her eyes gleaming instantly.

"Who told you that?" She laughed, and both Toshiro and Karin stared at her, startled. "I told Karin I was fighting Captain Zaraki; she was more than welcome to come." She winked at the young Shinigami, "I was just surprised she had time away from homework to attend."

Karin could not have been more loving of her instructor than that moment. Toshiro had an utterly confused and shocked look on his face, his mouth gaped open. The two stories he'd heard about Karin's reason for being here were now completely conflicting with each other. Captain Komamura frowned down at Leta.

"Perhaps next time you should advise her of the rules of battle," He cautioned. Leta nodded her head deeply.

"Of course, Captain," Leta replied with a more honoring tone. Her respect for Captain Komamura was admirable, Karin noted mentally.

"You have been in Shikai mode a long time, young one," Komamura looked down at Karin, as if remembering she was even there. "You should seal your zanpaktou before you run out of energy."

"Oh!" Leta stared as if _she _just remembered Karin was there. The instructor gave Komamura a troubled smile, "Well, she cannot actually do that yet, Captain."

"Oh?" Komamura eyed his subordinate suspiciously.

"Why would that be?" Toshiro asked in a challenging voice, his arms crossed at his stomach.

Leta gave Karin an apologetic look before closing her eyes, her smile fading slightly, "Tragically, her clothes...are not flame-resistent yet."

There was a moment of silence as both Komamura and Toshiro glanced from Leta to Karin.

Karin wished the flames could hide her face as well, because she knew it was bright red.

"Oho," Understanding etched its way onto Komamura's face. "I see. I'll fetch young Miss Kurosaki some robes from our barracks." Karin couldn't read his face, but something about the way the edges of his canine mouth almost curved suggested he was actually _smiling_ at her predicament.

Kenpachi called out to Leta as he walked towards the group, "What the Hell are you babbling about, woman? Where's Komamura running off to?"

His mouth sealed shut, Toshiro's cheeks could not have been pinker if he'd drawn on them with markers.

"Something wrong, Captain?" Leta asked, holding back a smirk. She had never seen the captain look so flustered_. But then again_, she imagined he'd never seen a girl naked before, much less stood next to one. _Not that you can actually see anything but Karin's face...still..._She held back the urge to giggle.

Karin wanted to die. To evaporate. To vanish from all sight; anything to keep her from seeing the embarassed look Toshiro had engulfing his face. _No punishment could be worse than this right now-_

"No boobs! I can see your no boobs!" Yachiru joyfully cried out, jumping up and down in place.

"Eh, I see," Kenpachi gave Karin a crooked smirk, "So you've been naked this whole time?"

_**Yikes! Well, that's all for this chapter. Sorry it took so long to get to you! Buuuuuut, if it makes you feel better Next chapter is the NOBLE SUMMIT BALL! I hope to have it up as soon as possible. Thank you all for being such loyal, amazing readers and reviewers of the story. I've taken all your comments to heart, and they've inspired me to say the least. **_

_**Have a great weekend,**_

_**Romania Black**_


	36. The Noble Summit Ball

Holy Crazy Week, Batman! Seriously, this week was nuts, and this chapter (which is insanely long) took forever to write and rewrite, but here it is! The Noble Summit Ball is about to begin and I'm super excited for where the story's going from here! I hope you are too!

I feel extremely nervous on how this chapter will be received. There are a LOT of things happening in it and being set up...I just hope it flows as well as it did in my mind as it will for you reading it.

In addition, I was thinking, in honor of_** 100+ reviews (THANKS TO YOU ALL!) **_I would do a special "Character mini-bio" for the 3 Kamaguchis. If you own the Bleach Manga volumes, you know what I'm talking about, they're at the end of the first ones. That's to come in the next three chapters, so get ready.

_**As for reviewers and readers, it was a **__**GREAT **__**week! You all have amazing reviews and ideas! I'm inspired! Special Thanks **_to:

**fanficfreak103, Ann Kip **(Thank you! Yeah, I would have been so embarassed if it'd happened to me!), **soulraven98, bleach-chan **(I'm not really shipping too heavy so far, but we'll see where the story takes us. Thank you for the suggestion! I never know if people are shipping KarinxToshiro or not...I've heard KarinxRenji so far...but...ehhh I don't know...), **theloverofanime **(Yeah, Kenpachi's so a perv here, and Toshiro's innocent bwahaha. I hope you like the start of the Noble Summit Ball this chapter!), **Roguesama **(Thanks, I hate leaving the story at cliffhangers, but sometimes it's the best place to), **fluco99, kiwiVega, Garnet-AsianAngel **(Yeah, Karin's in a little over her head, even moreso as we'll find out this chapter! I hope you like it!), **t.h.E.s.r.** (Layla is very much like Byakuya in that they love their nobility...and as for Karin's zanpaktou "Problem," a solution will be hinted this chapter, and also the human torch was an inspiration! I also thought of "Ace" from the manga "one piece." As for flying...we shall see bwahaha), **stormcrowley **(I am really happy how the fight scene turned out, and your review made me smile! I hope this chapter lives up to expectations!), **Turtle-chan in Blue **(Oh no! For some reason your last two reviews did NOT show up! That sucks...*unhappy face* But I will high five you as well. No Boobs fan club, here I come...I hear they have jackets), and finally (_PLEASE REFRAIN FROM READING IF YOU DISLIKE PROFANITY_) thanks to **fuck ya ya fuckity fuck fuck **(I'm guessing you did this just so I would write it here, right? haha, nice name though. :D )

Enjoy the chapter,

Romania Black

**Chapter Thirty-Six**

**Pride is a cloth  
You cannot take off**

Karin lay on the floor and stared at the ceiling of her room; the white plaster was spackled, as if the person who had drywalled really hadn't cared. She gave an exasperated huff, tilting her head on the ground so she could glance out a crack in the wall beside her. _Sunlight...it's probably closer to noon now though..._

The young Shinigami had spent the last day and a half in this empty, cold room as punishment for what apparently the younger Shinigami of Division Six were titling "The Squad Seven Incident."

Karin could still feel spiritual traces from the sensation of flames on her skin, but the entire ordeal itself made her face grow slightly warm, pink flushing her face. No one, luckily, knew about Karin's transformation except Captain Komamura, Captain Hitsugaya, Kenpachi, Yachiru, and Leta. The first captain had sworn to Leta he would speak nothing of this to anyone, as had Toshiro. Kenpachi had been a tougher customer to convince, but after a while agreed with a casual swing of his sword upon his shoulder.

"Hmph," He gruffly exhaled, "As if I give a damn about any of this."

Yachiru had been the worst to convince to be silent; finally succumbing after Leta offered her all the sweets her mansion could afford and Kenpachi threatened her to just 'go along with it' with a growl. Even now, Karin wasn't convinced the pink-haired imp could be trusted. But what choice did they have?

As for Karin, she was promptly given new robes by Captain Komamura and greeted very unhappily by her Captain, Byakuya Kuchiki. The stone-cold glare he gave Leta and Yoruichi that she hoped to never receive was exactly what was given to her, along with a steady lecture about her responsibilities to the division, and to him. Just thinking about his talk made her head heavier. Had Leta and Captain Komamura not been there, she wondered if he would have used his zanpaktou to punish her. A shiver ran down her arms; it had been a good thing they weren't alone.

The worst part about the punishment, being confined to her room, was that there was literally nothing to do. The room was bare except for her cot and her clothes and a newly placed wooden desk for her to work on homework at. The desk sat so low though, that you didn't need a chair, only to sit in order to work.

Karin sighed, she had to miss class yesterday, but luckily it had been Friday. Now there was no class for at least two more days. _That's not too bad...at least I can make up a day's worth of homework after the Ball..._

Luckily, in the last day and a half, she'd been given her meals by Rikichi, who apologized at least twenty times before Karin slapped in the face and told him to 'dry it up' and that it was okay. She honestly couldn't blame him for anything; it had been her decision to stay behind. She was merely happy he hadn't been punished as well. She imagined that Captain Kuchiki would be far less lenient on Rikichi since he wasn't obligated to protect him like he was Karin, which he had reminded her at least ten times yesterday. Apparently he'd made it back to the gates in time for Renji to let him in without notice.

The Vice-Captain had also graced Karin with his presence several times, mostly just to talk, but sometimes to ask Karin advice on what he should wear to the Ball; questions Karin had no experience in whatsoever.

_"Should I wear the purple that matches...or...this green?" Renji sheepishly held up two ties, one was a dark plum color that was plain, the other a forest green. Karin tilted her head with an exasperated sigh,_

_"I don't know...the green matches your hair better." She thought green and purple looked good anyway, considering that Rukia was wearing purple._

_"I have no clue what the Hell I'm doing," Renji groaned, "Thanks. I'll wear green I guess."_

_"Don't we wear our Shinigami robes?" Karin hadn't at all thought about dressing up._

_"Some of the captains keep their Haoris on, for professional reasons," Renji explained, tucking the ties into his robes by his chest, "But we're supposed to look...formal." He cringed at the word. _

_Karin didn't own any other clothing other than her Shinigami robes. "What am I going to wear?"_

_Renji gave her a half-smirk, "I'm sure Leta'll find you something nice. You two are about the same size," He gave her a glance from her head to her feet. _

Karin sighed, running a lone finger down the cold stone wall. Today was the day of the Noble Summit Ball, the gathering of both Gotei 13 captains as well as the noble families that made up and supported the Council of 46, the highest governing body of the Soul Society. If any plans were being made to use Karin, they would have the first word. It was Leta and Yoruichi's goal to find out what the council wanted with the young Shinigami, but here she was, the center of it all, completely out of the loop.

_I haven't even met this 'date' of mine, _Karin groaned to herself. 'Date' didn't seem the appropriate word. Babysitter, that seemed more likely. Karin frowned and gave a pouty huff, _This is ridiculous. Byakuya probably won't even let Leta in to see me._

An hour later, her prediction proved the opposite.

Karin had fallen asleep on her cot, tired with boredom and thoughts about the upcoming events, when a fast sing-song like tapping rattled her door. Karin jolted awake, and rubbed her eyes. Sluggishly rising to her feet, she teetered to the doorway and started to turn the knob.

"Come i-"

"Good Afternoon, Karin!"

The door flew open and knocked Karin against the wall, the door trapping her against the stone with a loud crash. Leta barged in, her trademark huge grin illuminating the room. The smile quickly turned to confusion as her eyes darted around all corners of the tiny space.

"Oh! Karin? Karin where are you?"

"H-here," Karin mumbled as she slowly started to push the door off her. Leta smiled serenely,

"Sorry, Karin. I thought you'd moved out of the way." She helped drag the door off her and dusted off her robes quickly from head to toe. Karin coughed as the dust flew into the air.

"How was class yesterday?" Karin wheezed, bent over with her hands on her knees.

Leta gave her a thin, sympathetic smile. "Fine. I'm sorry Captain Kuchiki is being so," She paused to refrain from saying something Karin was certain was a less than 'noble' comment, "...up tight...about all this." She looked around Karin's room suddenly as if seeing it for the first time. Her face altered immediately from happy to that of near severe disgust, "Good Heavens, you _stay _here? This is like a prison cell!" She stomped her foot across the stone ground, her hands shoved onto her hips.

"It's not too bad," Karin commented, straightening, "There's just nothing to do in here."

"No, this is unacceptable," Leta shook her head, the smile gone from her face. "You're coming to the mansion to get changed for tonight." She glanced at Karin, "Besides, we have to go over our strategy for the council." Her voice had a darker tone to it with the last sentence.

Karin gave Leta a concerned look, "Are you sure Captain Kuchiki is going to let you just walk out with me?"

"Well, he can't keep you from going," Leta frowned, an uncharacteristic look for her, "Especially since your date is a Noble."

"About that," Karin stretched, following Leta towards the door. Apparently Leta was in no mood to stay in Karin's room for any longer than she had to. "I haven't even seen this guy yet, err, your brother, that is. Is he okay with taking me tonight?"

Leta tilted her head towards Karin. Her face was beaming as usual once again, "Oh, he's always interested in meeting new people! Don't worry about it." But her answer wasn't a 'yes' or a 'oh of course he's okay with it,' so Karin wondered if Leta in fact, had blackmailed her brother into taking Karin much like she had blackmailed a lot of other people into doing her will.

"Just wait until you see the dress I've picked out for you!" Leta seemed more interested in talking about Karin's wardrobe than her brother, "It's great, it's from when I was younger so it'll suit your age, but it's still classy and mature," she rambled, adding the last comment as she saw Karin's eyes flare at the word _'younger_.' Karin calmed down after Leta had finished the sentence. They were nearly to the exit of the tower.

"And where would you be traveling to with my ward, Madame Kamaguchi?"

Karin felt the chills crawl up her back; she knew it was Byakuya behind them. Leta didn't even bother to turn around, but she did stop walking. "I'm taking Karin to my mansion to get prepared for tonight." Her voice was cheerful, but underneath the surface Karin could sense the bite it brought. "Why else did you think I came here?"

"I don't recall giving permission for you to take her _with _you," Byakuya's purple-grey eyes narrowed villainously. Karin felt the pressure in the room tighten. With only Karin there, these two were not playing nice with one another, even in conversation.

"I actually wasn't _planning _on taking her from here," Leta's face was still turned away from Byakuya's, "But then I saw the..._room_...you were keeping this girl in." She finally tilted her face so one hazel eye was staring at him, her voice low, "As a Noble, you can't expect me to stay in those conditions."

Karin had never imagined Byakuya being stabbed in the chest or anything violent such as that, but the expression on his face mirrored such a gesture. The very air in the room seemed chilled.

There was a long moment of silence, before Captain Kuchiki finally spoke.

"I grant you permission to give her formal attire for tonight," He said, with his head held a bit higher than normal, looking down upon Karin as if she was an ant, "but upon arrival at the Noble Summit Ball she will be under _my _watch." The finality in his voice was smothering.

Leta's grin slowly returned to her face as she realized her triumph. "Ah, as you wish Captain. Oh," She paused before they reached the exit, "Layla informs me she would have loved to have had you as a date tonight."

Byakuya looked as if he was considering spitting on Leta, which would have been the most un-Byakuya-like happening Karin could ever have witnessed, but instead, he merely turned his head with seemingly great effort and stormed stoically in the opposite direction.

Leta sighed lightly, "They're both so stubborn. Oh well. Let's get out of here," She motioned to Karin as they exited the tower.

It was only once Leta and Karin were outside the Sixth Division barracks before either spoke. And when Karin did, it felt as if she'd held back the words so long her lungs might have burst.

"WHOA! What _was _that back there?" Karin exploded, nearly grabbing Leta, who looked both thoroughly confused and about to laugh at the same time.

"What are you talking about?" She said with a slight giggle.

"Are you kidding? You took on the Captain! The spiritual pressure in there was intense! And you-you-out-out-prided him!" She could think of no way else to say it.

Leta smiled congenially, "I highly doubt I've upset his pride any."

"You're not serious, are you?" Karin was incredulous as she stared at her instructor, her hands rising to her hips and her eyes narrowing to match her sly grin, "You totally played the 'Noble card' against him!"

Leta looked at Karin for a split second in silence before erupting into laughter.

"Oh my!" Leta laughed, "Noble card? I'll have to tell Layla that one," She pressed a finger against her bottom lip, still smiling, "No, I was just playing fire with fire. I knew Captain Kuchiki would understand what I meant, him being a Noble as well, and in the end he would have let you come with me anyway." She flashed her teeth to Karin, "I just didn't want to wait that long."

The Mansion was bustling with servants running in and out of its hallways. They were all carrying various items; some had various colored clothes draped heavily over their arms. Others were practically juggling boxes of shoes, while most were simply running around the Manor looking for work or orders to fulfill. Karin had to dodge several of them as they aimlessly bounded past her. Leta seemed very equipped to dealing with the panic, easily and gracefully weaving her way down the halls, leading a much more clumsy Karin behind her.

"Everyone's gone crazy," Karin murmured to herself.

Leta smiled, "These sort of occasions are usually a big deal to Nobles. Not only is it a time to mingle with heads of power, and wear something other than a kimono," She joked, "but it only occurs every couple of decades, if that, so they take it pretty seriously here."

"You don't seem to," Karin noted.

The instructor eyed Karin with a shake of her head, "Oh, I'm just used to the panic. I take tonight very seriously," her grin broadened, "Just not like my siblings do."

"Ma'am!" One of the servants carrying several bags of what appeared to be clothing stopped, breathing heavily at Leta's side, "In your room are all the assorted dresses for you to try on."

"Excellent," Leta clasped her hands together enthusiastically. "Karin is wearing one of my older outfits. It's in the White Room. See to it that she's dressed properly," She ordered happily, turning to Karin, "You'll be in good hands, don't worry. Now I'm going to get ready. I'll see you shortly?" She smiled. The servant with the bags of clothing was already pushing Karin down the hallway towards the set of guest bedrooms.

"Sure," Karin said meekly.

She had never been one for primping, and this was certainly no exception. _Leta may find all this exciting...but this stuff has never interested me...It would have been Yuzu's thing for sure, _She thought sadly. She had just now gotten her sister's image out of her head, and here it was again, causing a pang in her chest. _Great..._

"Wow," the servant observed with a satisfied expression, "Madame Leta picked you a wonderful gown for tonight."

Karin seemed practically made for the outfit Leta had given her. It was a midnight blue and sleeveless, with two thick straps that wrapped around her shoulders at an angle and crisscrossed in the back. The thick material was still manageable to walk in, and slightly belled out from the waist, so it wasn't clingy. Karin had never worn something so elegant. She insisted on wearing black flats; there was no way in the world she'd ever wear heels. The servants offered her various amounts jewelry to wear with the gown, but the young Shinigami thought the giant diamond necklaces were tacky, too much for the dress, and instead went with a simple pair of pearl earrings. As for her hair, the servants tried to pull it up, but Karin would have none of it. Instead it stayed against the sides of her face, straight and down to her collar bone.

Karin checked herself once over in the mirror. Though her face and hair looked virtually the same, she felt somewhat different in the bell-shaped dress. More...grown up. Karin smiled, _Thank goodness Goatbeard isn't here. He'd want to take so many stupid pictures of me in this..._

Karin waited at the base of the stairs by herself in the main room for what seemed like half an hour. Karin figured she had taken the least time getting ready, but wanted to be downstairs so they could leave as soon as possible. She stood by a large mirror and twirled her hips in place, causing the dress to move back and forth in a slow sway. For some reason, her stomach felt as if it was filling with butterflies.

_Am I...getting excited about this dance? _She shook her head and gave herself a grimace, _Nah...it's probably just anxiety about spying on the council..._Even though this was a formal affair; Karin, Leta, and Yoruichi would have their own mission: To discover the true intentions of the Soul Society Council of 46. Karin smirked to herself, _I feel like one of those secret agents in those movies Goatbeard was always watching...the undercover spy Karin Kurosaki! _

"Oh Karin," An awed voice called from above the young Shinigami, as Karin turned to see her mentor Leta descending the stairwell, "You look simply beautiful."

But Karin thought she couldn't compare to Leta. The teacher was dressed in a tight-fitting bright yellow dress that had one strap across her shoulder and a slit on the right side that rose from her ankle all the way to the, dangerously appealing, upper part of her thigh. It fit her snugly, and showed off her lean frame. Her strawberry blonde hair, golden enough not to clash with the dress, was parted down the middle and then clumped into two large buns on either side of her face. The buns were adorned with black barrets and black beaded clips.

"Speak for yourself," Karin smiled in return.

"You like it?" Leta spun in place, eyeing herself from all angles. "The servants complained that the hair is a bit much, but I like it." She stopped and gave Karin's hair a look, her smile fading slightly, "You didn't do anything different with yours."

"I like it the way it is," Karin replied simply. "Besides, there's not much you could do with it."

Leta didn't meet Karin's eyes, her focus still on the young Shinigami's locks, "That depends on who you're talking to."

"I think it looks fine," a voice called from atop the stairs. Leta and Karin both looked up to see Layla, the elder sister of Leta, gracefully glide down the stairs. Karin would have argued with anyone that it seemed more like floating than gliding, her movements were so fluid and airy.

Layla's dress was much more conservative. She wore a pale, almost white, periwinkle flowy sleeved gown made of thin layers of material. It looked to Karin like a dress made of several dozen doilies, but only Layla could have pulled it off and made it look stunning. Her ample chest filled out the top part of the strapless dress, and her dark green hair was smooth and wrapped delicately into a long braid draped across her right shoulder.

"You wore that last year, sister," Leta said in an almost disappointed voice.

"I enjoy wearing it," Layla countered contently, "I sincerely doubt the council will remember what I wear from year to year," She added with a wispy smile.

Leta smirked, "That depends on who you're talking to." Only this time she said the phrase, it was much more playful. She gave Karin a wink, which made the young Shinigami smile. _Those two are definitely sisters._

"Lyall is on his way down," Layla looked cautioningly at Karin, her eyes cast downward at her, "He had to inform the servants of a few things before we left."

"Is he in charge of the Manor?" Karin asked.

"Technically," Layla's smile stretched the tiniest bit, "He's the leader of the Kamaguchi clan."

Karin felt her throat tighten a little, "Really?" She said with a slight effort._ Leta's set me up to go to this Ball with a Noble Family clan leader? _Karin gave Leta a judging look that clearly stated _"And you didn't tell me this before because-?"_

Leta smiled with a hint of nervousness; her face clearly responding "_You would have found out eventually..."_

"Ah," Layla clasped her hands together, her eyes drawing towards the stairs, "Here is our dear brother."

If you had told Karin that Leta, Layla, and Lyall Kamaguchi all had different parents and were not related at all, she would have believed you. Just like Layla and Leta only shared the shape of their eyes as a common feature, for Lyall, the traits he shared with his sisters were the sharp, thin nose like Layla's and his pencil eyebrows that mimicked Leta's. That was the extent of his similarity with his siblings.

Lyall was in between the heights of Layla and Leta, slightly taller than Karin. He was athletically, almost like a young adolescent, thin, especially his legs, which looked like two slightly bow-legged toothpicks. His skinny body was shrouded tonight in a royal purple suit with a black cape strung together with a golden rope that crossed his chest horizontally. His black shoes were perfectly polished and indicated he had large feet. His hands were slightly large as well, and his face was a heart shape. Lyall's hair seemed thick and wavy like Leta's, but was an auburn brown, shaggy enough to where it framed his face. His eyes were in a permanently narrowed state, and were brown; in fact, his entire facial expression seemed to be that of narrowed and pensive, as if dissatisfied by something, but in an oddly gracious and attractive manner.

He glanced from his sisters to Karin with a curiosity that Karin could only liken with a scientist. "Is this her?" He said curtly. The two sisters nodded instantly. Karin didn't know what to expect as Lyall hovered over her, then bent down to meet her eyes. There was a moment of silence.

Lyall extended his hand, "A pleasure to meet you."

Both Leta and Layla let out simultaneous sighs of relief. Karin, wondering for a moment if they'd expected him to do something completely different, stared at him for a second before remembering her manners.

"Hello," She shook his hand; his skin was very warm, "My name is Karin Kurosaki."

"So I've heard," Lyall's narrowed face let up enough for him to smile slyly, "I'm Lyall Kamaguchi, but I'm sure you already know that." His head tilted with an unexpected playfulness.

Karin didn't know what to make of this man, "Y-yeah."

"Shall we go?" Layla said with a peaked voice, her hand gesturing to the door. "We're already going to be fashionably late."

"Of course," Lyall said with an apologetic frown to his sisters and Karin, "I would have been ready sooner if my work hadn't caught up and kept me behind this afternoon."

"What do you do?" Karin asked as they walked out of the Mansion.

"I'm the Captain of the Kido Corps," Lyall said simply.

Karin's mouth dropped open. She had read about them in class, the Kido Corps. Apparently, there was the Gotei 13 court guard that protected the Royal Family of the Soul Society, and then there was also the Kido Corps, the association that assisted the Gotei 13 and were responsible for the Kido spells that Shinigami could use. They were a division separate from the Gotei 13, yet a huge functioning organ of the organization as well. Lyall being the Captain was a big deal. Yet he said it as if she had asked what color the sky was. Karin forced her mouth shut,

"Really?"

"Oh yes," Lyall replied, "I have been for about seventy years now."

"...I see," Karin didn't want to think of all the spells this man could perform just by looking at her. She gulped slightly and turned her head so he couldn't see her frightened face.

It was extremely funny to use shunpo, the Shinigami act of moving at a fast pace, to get to the Noble Summit Ball, especially in dresses, but Karin managed fairly well. She sensed the others were going slower to allow her to keep up, but she didn't mind. The conversation bantered between Leta and Layla most of the way about who was going to the Ball with who. But Lyall was very curious about Karin, and her life in the Real World. As it turned out, he'd never visited there as a Shinigami, despite being as Karin found out, roughly three-hundred and fifty years old.

"Do you have siblings?" He asked in a very calm voice.

_How could he not know about Ichigo? Was he just being polite? _"Yeah, I have a brother and a sister...she's my twin in fact." Karin added, just for detail. Lyall nodded his head, his dark eyes scanning her face intently.

"Does she look like you?"

Karin almost snorted, "No, the complete opposite."

He seemed mildly surprised, "And your brother?"

"Everyone says we look similar, but I don't believe them." Karin replied. Lyall looked at her and then slowly smiled. His smile was very smug and superiority was displayed in the curve of his thin dimples,

"I see. We're very alike in that respect." He looked ahead to his sisters ranting to each other, and Karin realized what he meant. She felt a smile play upon her face; Lyall was mysterious, but in a good way so far.

In about an hour they arrived at a road that, unlike the ones she'd seen so far, was paved in golden bricks. Karin couldn't imagine how expensive this road must have been. It led to a set of golden gates opening to a giant green courtyard on a small hillside, a giant mansion of white marble and red clay shining with numerous metal oil lanterns lighting the path towards it. Unlike the Kamaguchi mansion, there were no trees hiding this place; open countryside surrounding the grounds had fountains, elegant tents, tables, and matching lanterns for people to see each other in the darkness. It was as if the place was on display for all to see and be awestruck by its sheer expensive and luxurious beauty.

"They weren't very modest with the design," Karin noted quietly.

Leta giggled, "Oh, this is the Noble Summit Hall. All the forty-six Council members have special emergency meetings here and gatherings for nobles; it was built specifically to serve the Noble Families in case of recreational activities. Basically it's to show off how great the Nobles are."

Karin stared at the vast yard and the many people scattered throughout chatting with one another as they walked through the golden gateway, "So no one lives here when there's not parties?"

Leta smiled, "No." Her gaze turned more serious, "My family actually designed a Kido spell to protect this location when we're not using it. That way, normal passers-by wouldn't try to sneak in or vandalize the Hall."

The young Shinigami looked ahead in awe, "No way..."

Without warning a small black butterfly suddenly perched onto Leta's shoulder. "Oh! Leta-" Karin pointed to the insect, but Leta smiled, gracefully lifting it towards her ear as it rested on her index finger.

"Aha," The instructor smiled, "It's a Hell Butterfly, Karin. Apparently, my date has arrived!" She smiled broadly and started to bounce back towards the gates the way they came in, "I'll be right back!"

This left Lyall, Karin, and Leta standing in the middle of the courtyard amidst numerous individuals that Karin didn't know at all. She looked around, hoping to see Renji, Rukia, or Yoruichi, but the only faces she could see belonged to strangers.

Lyall's face darkened slightly, "Her date? Is she taking her Captain again?" He didn't sound thrilled about this prospect.

"Yes," Layla's eyes were matte and dull as she said this. Karin wondered what they had against Captain Komamura. He seemed very nice and respectable to her, other than the fact that he looked like a werewolf.

"I suppose the choice could have been poorer," But Lyall's face was full of doubt.

Layla's face mimicked his, "Indeed."

"Madame Kamaguchi!" A voice shot out from the crowd, and Layla, Lyall, and Karin turned to see a woman dressed in white Greek-looking robes walk towards them. Layla smiled serenely, looking to Lyall and Karin.

"She's a council member I'm friends with," She told Karin specifically, "If you'll excuse me." She greeted the woman, who appeared in her mid-forties, with a firm handshake and the two set off across the courtyard, instantly talking to one another like old friends.

Lyall gave Karin a sly grin, "I would gather you know no one here."

Karin crossed her arms with a slight pout, "You would be correct, sir."

Lyall glanced at her up and down with an amused curiosity, "You do not carry yourself with the weight of a thirteen-year-old," He noted finally.

Karin stared at him, not sure whether to take offense or not. She decided he wasn't mocking or being rude. "I've always had to act mature. Since my mother died when we were young, and my father," She cringed, "has the maturity of an infant...I've always had to be the responsible one."

Lyall gave her a considerate smile, "You are the oldest I take it."

"No," Karin had to grin at the comment, "I'm the middle child...technically. Yuzu and I are twins, but I'm older."

This comment made Lyall's eyes widen to a non-narrowed state, which to Karin made him look a hundred times friendlier. Without a moment's hesitation, he laughed out loud, causing Karin to stare in wonder.

"Interesting," Lyall finally said as he calmed himself, "We are seeming more alike with each passing moment." He smirked, which made Karin's cheeks grow warm. She tried to hide the fact that she was possibly blushing. When she turned her head she saw a familiar face.

"Renji!"

The Vice-Captain of her division was dressed up in a black suit, wearing the green tie Karin had suggested. His long crimson hair was in a thick braid down his back, which oddly enough looked nice. With his white bandana gone she noticed he had widow's peaks, with tattoos filling in the spaces above his eyebrows. He looked rugged and surprisingly handsome, but awkwardly so with the expression he wore. It clearly said _"I don't fit in here."_

Rukia on the other hand looked as if she was made for this sort of occasion. Her petite frame was draped in a dark plum dress that dropped straight to the ground. The sleeves were diagonal, so they met at a "v" at her chest. She wore a simple necklace with a plum cherry blossom jewel, her hair pulled up into an updo with a few locks gently hanging around her ears and her trademark one between her eyes.

"Yo," the Lieutenant said with a less than enthusiastic voice.

"Karin!" Rukia looked happy but puzzled nonetheless.

"Hi Rukia," Karin smiled, "It's good to see you here." It seemed like months since she'd seen the Shinigami. "You look nice," She gave Renji an extra big smile, "You especially."

Renji turned his head away in embarassment, "Quit it."

Rukia looked at her date curiously, then turned back to the young Shinigami. "Thank you, Karin, but," She tilted her head in confusion, "What are you doing here?"

"I invited her," Lyall suddenly decided to join the conversation, his hand extending towards Rukia.

The Shinigami's eyes widened, "Captain Lyall Kamaguchi! You-?"

Lyall grasped Rukia's hand and gave it a quick kiss, "A pleasure as always, Madame Kuchiki." His eyes turned to Renji and narrowed slightly, "You must be the Vice-Captain to Captain Kuchiki."

"Yeah," Renji replied bluntly. It was clear Renji didn't like Lyall kissing Rukia's hand in the least bit but wasn't about to do anything about it. "How'd you guess?"

Lyall smirked, "The Captain would only allow you to take his beloved sister for that reason I'm sure."

Karin stared at her date, baffled by what had just been said. Renji's hands formed slowly into fists, his eyes blazing. Rukia gripped his wrist though, before he could say anything; her eyes intently staring into his, as if to tell him to not waste his breath. Lyall looked as if he noticed none of this.

"Oh good, you're still here!" Leta had returned, luckily in time to draw everyone's attention towards her and her date, Captain Komamura.

The captain was much taller than Leta and larger; in fact, she appeared to be a child compared to him. He was dressed in a black suit as well, but with an ivory sash draped around his neck and hanging down across his shoulders. He reminded Karin of the "Beast" in the children's book she'd read; a monster dressed up as a prince. But she knew Komamura was no monster; he was in fact probably the most respectable person she'd met as far as manners and kindness were concerned.

"Ah, and Renji and Rukia are here too!" Leta grinned widely.

"Greetings," Komamura said with a nod of his head. He looked down to Lyall, "It is an honor to see you again, Captain Kamaguchi."

Lyall's mouth formed a smug frown, "Please, you can refrain from titles with me tonight. Lyall will do." He said it as if Komamura was not fit to say "captain" in front of him. Karin didn't like this side of her date at all; neither did Renji from the look on his face. Rukia's expression was unreadable.

"Play nice," Leta murmured under her breath, her smile widening.

"Are all the Captains gathering here?" A harsh voice questioned.

A new person had joined the group. This was a woman barely taller than Karin, but just as thin. She was wearing an outfit that was midnight blue as well, but that's where the similarities ended. It was an outrageous two-piece attire; the top being practically a bra with cloth hanging on the sides of it that connected to the bottom piece. The bottom was barely three strips of midnight blue cloth sewed together. It reminded Karin of a belly dancer's outfit. The woman wearing the 'dress' didn't look thrilled about it either; she had a dark blue hair that was short, save for two thin braids that hung down her back. Her eyes were glaring, and her lips pursed thin. Karin was trying her hardest not to stare at the bizarre outfit, for fear of making her mad. She looked threatening enough as it was.

"Not exactly, Captain," Leta smiled, eyeing the outfit too.

Everyone, in fact, seemed to be taking a sudden interest in the newcomer's wardrobe. Karin could tell that everyone had the same thought on their minds, but no one dared to say it. No one that is, except for Karin's instructor.

"Did you make your own dress this year, Soi Fon?" Leta asked casually.

Karin tried to stifle the urge to laugh, pinching her arm tensely. Rukia and Renji stared at Leta with horror, Captain Komamura with sudden apprehension, and Lyall with a disapproving glare.

Captain Soi Fon's face suddenly turned a bright red.

"No, Leta Kamaguchi! How dare you utter such things! I would not have worn this ridiculous arrangement here if I hadn't been told how gracious it looked by-"

"Ah, some familiar faces!" Yoruichi Shihouin was now with them, looking absolutely stunning. Her long, dark green halter dress showed off every curve she had perfectly, as well as matched her plum hair.

"See," Karin commented quickly to Renji, "I told you. Plum and Green do look good together."

Renji gave her a cold, silent stare in return. Rukia looked over to both of them, "What are you two talking about?"

"I picked out this dress for Soi Fon!" Yoruichi stated proudly, "Doesn't it look great on her?"

Karin could not imagine why Soi Fon would have let someone else design her outfit, but then again, she couldn't imagine how Yoruichi had found that dress to be appealing in the first place.

"Indeed," Komamura nodded his head, breaking the awkward silence, "It's flattering Captain."

Karin didn't know if he was serious or not, but his kind words made her like Captain Komamura even more. Lyall, however, shook his head,

"Your fashion sense is highly medeival, Madame Yoruichi," He noted, not as politely as the Captain before him. _Way to be honest, Lyall,_ Karin gave him an upset expression, which he ignored. "In any case, have you already spoken to the Nobles?"

Yoruichi nodded, her expression more serious, "Have you?"

Lyall dusted his shoulder, "I was getting ready to venture that direction." He turned and gave Karin a glance accompanied by a small smile, "Would you care to join me?"

"Actually," Yoruichi butted between them and gripped Karin's shoulder, "I need to borrow Miss Kurosaki if that's alright." She looked down at Lyall, since he was a few inches shorter than her with a slightly intimidating stance.

The Kido Captain smiled with an apparent understanding that Karin didn't comprehend, "Sparing her from the droll of Nobles, Madame Shihouin?"

"If it's fine with you," Yoruichi grinned back. _Must be an inside joke, _Karin decided to herself.

"It is," Lyall gripped Karin's hand and raised it to his mouth. In a similar fashion to Rukia, he kissed her hand, but this time let his lips linger for a second longer. "I shall return shortly." He gave her a quick flash of a grin before flash-stepping up the hill towards the Mansion. Karin watched him vanish with a flustered expression. _What ...was that?_

Renji leaned over so that his head was inches from Karin's ear. "That's a nice date you have there," He teased in a whisper.

Karin placed her hand on his cheek and shoved his face away from her, "Back off, jerk!" She barked. _Great..._She was trying to hide the fact that her face felt hot and was probably blushing immensely. Renji looked pleased that his taunt had been a success.

"Yoruichi," Leta suddenly looked at her colleague with an expression that Karin knew meant this conversation would be about their mission tonight. She listened carefully as Leta continued, "Captain Komamura and I need to meet with the Nobles as well. Would you care to stay with Karin and keep her company until Lyall comes back?"

Yoruichi nodded in a soldier-like fashion, "Of course."

Karin watched her instructor walk away with her arm entangled in Captain Komamura's. She guessed Leta was planning on meeting with the Nobles to find out any possible leads as to what they wanted with Karin. _So this is it, _she thought with an excitement building in her chest_, We're starting to move "Operation Information" into effect..._

Rukia glanced around Yoruichi with a disappointed frown, "I was hoping to see Shou tonight. Is he not here?"

The flash goddess gave Rukia a warm smile, returning to the conversation at hand. "Oh he is here actually," She chuckled, "I've been handing him around to several individuals. You know how people go crazy over seeing infants at occasions like this."

"Hopefully I'll get to see him," Rukia smiled.

Renji scratched the back of his head, looking around the courtyard. "Rukia, let's go see if we can track down Kira. He said he'd be here."

"That's right," Realization dawned on Rukia's face, "He was coming tonight," She turned to Karin, giving her a sympathetic smile, "We'll see you again afterwhile, Karin. I'm happy you're okay here. Renji's been filling me in on how you've been doing."

Karin smiled in return, "I'm glad he has." She glanced mischieviously at Renji, who was blushing slightly and gently tugging on Rukia's arm.

"Let's go," He gave Karin a quick look, "See ya, kid. Yoruichi. Soi Fon."

After the two had left, Soi Fon gave an evil smirk to Yoruichi, "I knew it was only a matter of time before she brought him to this event."

"A blind man could have forseen it," Yoruichi nodded, her face giving off an equally playful grin.

"So you're Ichigo Kurosaki's sister?" She turned her attention to Karin and gave her a stiff glance, "I wouldn't have guessed."

Karin was surprised by this. "Really? You're the first person to say that! Everyone usually says I'm just like him."

"They're morons," Soi Fon uttered bluntly, causing Yoruichi to stifle a short laugh.

"Speaking of which," The flash goddess offered dryly, moving the conversation, "Would you care to go and find Captain Kuchiki? I was needing to talk to him, but Leta's having me stay here with Karin until Lyall returns."

Soi Fon gave Yoruichi a confused and slightly agitated glance, "Why do you need to talk to him now? I'm sure he'll find his way towards us eventually."

"It involves the Noble I met inside," The feline femme replied smoothly, "I'm afraid if he doesn't hear this information soon it will be for the worse." Her eyes narrowed onto Soi Fon and her voice grew heavier, "I've wasted enough time already. It is urgent that I find him."

After a moment, during which the petite captain appeared to be thinking to herself, she glanced up at Yoruichi and nodded her head with an irritated frown, "Yes, I can go and retrieve him for you."

"Thank you, Soi Fon," the cat woman said with a grateful grin. The diminuitive captain flash-stepped out of sight. Three seconds later, Yoruichi quickly turned and led Karin silently towards a nearby tree, still in sight of the mansion, but far enough away from everyone for her to talk one-on-one with Karin uninterrupted.

Karin focused her gaze on Yoruichi, "Okay, what's happening?"

"So far so good," Yoruichi explained, her eyes glowing golden even in the darkness. "This night is actually working in our favor. Leta is infiltrating the mansion to hopefully scout information, while you and I are free to talk about the next step of the plan."

"What about Soi Fon? You didn't really need to talk to Captain Kuchiki did you?"

"Ah," Yoruichi grinned, "I actually lied to Rukia. I haven't been passing Shou around to the Nobles. I left him in the care of Byakuya inside the Summit Hall."

Karin stared at the cat woman as if she was insane, "Are you kidding? You left your son with...with...with Captain Kuchiki?" She couldn't believe it.

"He won't do anything to my son," Yoruichi was grinning wide at Karin's innocent and honest reaction, "Plus, it keeps him occupied and away from _you_." Her grin became a smirk, "I heard about your zanpaktou."

Karin's face suddenly turned red, which she was sure Yoruichi could see even in the dark away from the lanterns, "Oh you heard about that, did you?"

"I have news about that later," Yoruichi's smirk faded, "But for now, we need to focus. Soi Fon won't take long finding Byakuya, that's a certainty."

Karin blinked, "What's the plan?"

"Originally, Leta and I were going to send you into the Summit Hall in hopes that a Council member would take you aside and attempt to recruit you," She looked grave, "But we realized with Lyall there as your date, they might become slightly intimidated and not talk to you at all, but instead push their actions into motion faster, with or without your recruitment."

Karin understood this as it sank in, but frowned, "So why'd you set me up with Lyall to begin with?"

"It was the only option at the time," Yoruichi answered impatiently, continuing, "We've had time to think since then however, and have realized what a poor decision that was. The point is, Leta is going to infiltrate inside now and see if she can scrounge any information from the Nobles. It's protocol that all Noble Family members meet and greet with the Council. It's a check-up of sorts. Hopefully, Leta will find some information that is useful. Then, we'll switch places and I'll do some investigating of my own." She took a breath, looking slightly exasperated.

Karin was severely disappointed. _So wait, I'm not going to be doing anything here? Just standing around talking to people I don't know?_

"Why am I even here then?" Karin objected angrily, "I'm not going to be spying at all?"

"It's too dangerous," Yoruichi stared grimly at Karin, "The Council are not people to be trifled with. Your fate hangs in the balance of this evening," She paused and gave Karin an apologetic frown, "I'm sorry that we drug you into this without thinking beforehand. Lyall makes this entire equation more complicated than you could possibly imagine."

Karin gave the older Shinigami and understanding glance, "I think I could imagine."

"I would ask what you're doing here in the shadows," Lyall's voice broke the quiet around the two of them, nearly making Karin jump out of her skin. Yoruichi turned with a feline quickness towards the youthful man as he stood about three feet from them. "But then again, with you Madame Shihouin, there's no telling." He grinned slyly, his eyes narrowed.

Karin had no clue how long he'd been standing there; she hadn't been able to detect his spiritual pressure at all.

"Ah, Lyall," Yoruichi grabbed Karin's arm as they made their way back towards the lightened area of the courtyard. Lyall had his hands in his suit pockets, standing casually by a lantern. "The Nobles didn't droll on forever I see."

"Not after I told them who my date was this evening," Lyall grinned to Karin's horror, and, as she looked up, to Yoruichi's terror as well, "They would not let me carry on the conversation any longer without taking her to meet them."

Yoruichi's teeth were grinding as she spoke, "You don't say."

"I was surprised as well," Lyall smirked, "But apparently your reputation proceeds itself." He stated to Karin proudly, as if she were a prize he'd won. Karin felt as if the stack of cards Yoruichi, Leta, and herself had so perfectly crafted were tumbling down in shambles.

"So I've heard," Karin managed to mutter, her voice stiff.

"I'm sorry to interrupt whatever you were discussing," Lyall grabbed Karin by the hand, "But the Nobles are insisting they see Miss Kurosaki immediately."

Yoruichi had composed herself by now, her voice even, and her eyes calm. "Certainly. Please bring her back though," She said with a small smile, her eyes finding Karin's with a nervousness that only Karin would notice, "We didn't get to finish gossiping."

Lyall gave a gentle, playful laugh as he drug Karin alongside him, "No worry, Madame Shihouin. She'll be back before you remember her leaving."

_**Ahhhh, next chapter up as soon as possible!**_

_**I hope you liked this introduction to the ball! I felt like it was rushed...I hope to take more time on the next chapter. Let me know what you thought! and if there's a specific character you'd like to see cameo next chapter! I have some already in mind, bwahaha!**_

_**Have a great weekend,**_

_**Romania Black**_


	37. Rats Amongst Mice

Hello! Well, this chapter isn't quite as long as the last, which I felt was too long, but is still VERY important plot-wise. I found that I couldn't fit all the characters I wanted to this chapter without ruining some surprises, BUT I did fit the ones that were needed. You'll see when you read...there's a lot of scene switching taking place. I hope you're not confused as you read!

I can't believe this story has over_** 100 REVIEWS**_! I can't even speak words to describe how happy I am. THANK YOU! This story officially ties in chapters to my other "The Taming of the Saiyan" but this tale's going to go on a LOT longer than that one, even once it's finished (It'll happen, none of those skeptical looks! I see you!) haha,

As always, _**THANK YOU SO MUCH **_for reviewing! This week there were a LOT of questions from the chapter from the following. Special thanks to:

**t.h.E.s.r. **(Lyall, he's certainly...interesting. I'm so happy someone got the call back to the Bleach on the Beach episode! Yoruichi DOES love to boss Soi Fon around, doesn't she? haha, as for Karin's zanpaktou problem, it's too soon to reveal, but you're on the right track. Some of your questions you'll have to read this chapter to find out, BUT I can tell you that at the Ball you CAN come dateless. Byakuya for example. But Captains are required to come, as are Nobles. Whether they bring a date or not is up to them.)

**Garnet-Asian Angel **(Thank you! Yoruichi is mischievious and playful, so she's perfect for breaking tensions amongst groups...and yeah, Lyall Shady? Oh, you've seen nothing yet. bwahaha)

**LilystarCHAN **(Thanks so much for the review! haha, I try not to be evil. Try...key word. Lyall is so fun to write scenes about, for all the reasons you described, and YES, not this chapter, but in the next two, Lyall will most certainly meet some people that will cause sparks to fly...you'll have to be patient...it's coming! bwaha!)

**Stormcrowley **(Ahh, it's too soon to reveal some things, but hopefully some of your loose ends will be explained this chapter. Lyall is a curious character and there is DEFNITELY more under his surface to be explained later. His motivations...well, you'll find out soon enough. Also, as for Yoruichi and Leta's plans from the beginning, that is somewhat explained this chapter. As for the Pheonix part...ah, too soon. Too soon. ^^)

Also,

As promised, at the bottom of this chapter is Kamaguchi Character Bio #1: Leta! It's really brief, but hopefully gives a little insight into Leta's character, and also contains a little spoiler, the name of her zanpaktou! (You'll find out about its abilities later, trust me). It's just a little teaser for now.

Enjoy the chapter,

Romania Black

**Chapter Thirty-Seven**

**Come lets gather these rats  
At the Center of the Maze**

**Come lets watch these rats  
Devour each other for the Cheese**

_Don't panic._

_Think about this. Lyall's taking you to see the Council members. This is what you wanted in the first place._

_Don't panic._

_But if the council members see me and get psyched because Lyall's there, this could ruin all our chances of finding anything out. Or worse, they could ask to see my zanpaktou!_

_Don't panic._

_But you didn't bring your sword for that very reason...remember? You decided to leave it at the mansion for tonight. It's okay...but what if I end up needing it? Damn it! _

_Okay, Stop it, Karin. Don't Panic. This will sort itself out. Don't panic..._

Trying to not breathe too loudly, Karin pushed her arm closer out of involuntary defense against Lyall's. They were walking arm in arm towards the Noble Summit Hall, a giant mansion of ivory marble and red clay that looked more expensive than the town Karin grew up in. The older man, who looked about like he could have been in high school despite the fact he was well over three hundred years old, was looking down at Karin with considerable amusement. He was taller than Karin, but only just.

"It's okay you know," He smirked playfully, "The Nobles are just wealthy, successful souls in the Sereitei. They're not monsters."

_Says the leader of a group of them, _Karin thought cryptically. "They're also really strong," She added, trying not to sound too meek.

Lyall laughed lightly, "Well, that is true." He gripped her arm tighter, "Don't worry, Karin, you're safe with me here."

But she didn't know whether she should be comforted by this knowledge, or more uneasy.

Karin felt the bottom of her stomach pang with a sudden emptiness the moment they walked into the Noble Summit Hall mansion. All eyes seemed to quickly locate Lyall and focus on him, which made perfect sense. He was the head of a Noble Family and a Captain; the young man was practically royalty amongst these aristocrats. But their eyes were also lingering on Karin, as if judging every aspect about her. She had never felt claustrophobic until this moment, and now their eyes were practically smothering her with their unsettled gazes.

"Lyall Kamaguchi," A tall man smiled as he was approaching them. "This is a pleasant surprise."

He looked different than the other nobles in the fact that he wasn't staring, and he didn't appear nearly as snobbish. He was tall with dark thick brown hair that was hanging loosely in a pony tail tied with a bright blue fabric, odd red flowers jutting from the band. His face reminded Karin of her father greatly, particularly the facial hair he had. He looked in his early forties, but in a way that suggested he'd aged well. His attire especially reminded Karin of her father, in a way that mildly annoyed her. He was wearing a bright pink robe with several blue and black flowers adorning it and a black sash. Over this was a black robe and on top of that was another kimono, this one appearing like a woman's. The way he wore it though suggested it might have been a gift. Judging from his appearance, Karin guessed he could have been a womanizer.

"Shunsui Kyoraku," Lyall nodded his head, "It's good to see you captain."

Karin glanced from Lyall to the man called Shunsui. _Captain? _

"It's always a pleasure to see someone from the Kido Corps as well. Ah," Captain Kyoraku noticed Karin's stare and leaned over to glance into her eyes. His breath smelled heavily of sake. He smiled graciously as he looked from Karin to Lyall, "Is this your date? I've never seen her at the Summit Ball before."

The Kido Corps Captain smiled serenely, "This is her first time coming here-"

Karin didn't feel like letting him finish, so she stuck her hand out towards the captain, rather sheepishly, and did her best to smile without nervousness, "I'm Karin Kurosaki."

Shunsui eyes opened slightly wider and his eyebrows furrowed as he looked Karin's face up and down, his glance lingering towards Lyall for a moment, "You don't say," He finally grinned, "I had heard rumors that Ichigo Kurosaki's sister was here." He winked at Karin, "You're a lot cuter than Ichigo though; no wonder Lyall decided to take you."

Karin wasn't sure whether to be flattered, or slightly creeped out. Captain Kyoraku was proving to be more like her own dad than she was happy with.

"Did you bring Nanao?" Lyall asked, stirring the conversation a new direction. Shunsui nodded,

"Yeah, I sent her to go and grab us some more to drink," The Captain smiled. "I would ask, though, how such a Noble ended up asking Miss Kurosaki here to the Ball." Shunsui's eyes suddenly seemed more serious than glazed. Karin could have sworn it was from his intoxication, but there was a hint to his voice that he knew more than he was letting on.

Lyall, if he noticed, acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary, "My sister Leta arranged it. She has Karin in her class at the Soul Reaper Academy."

"I see," the Captain glanced down at Karin, a smile playing cautiously across his face, "I'm sure you don't give young Leta-chan any trouble. Still," his eyes hinted at a more serious note, "It certainly is scary having another Kurosaki Shinigami, eh?" His voice made it apparent he was waiting for Lyall to respond.

The Kido Corps Captain had an unreadable expression, "I hear they are disimilar, but how could I know?" He looked as if he suddenly wanted to leave the space with Kyoraku. Lyall locked arms with Karin again, "I apologize for my rudeness, Captain, but Karin and I have other people to meet with."

"Say no more," Shunsui smiled broadly, but Karin wondered if it was an act, "I'll leave you two to mingle. It was lovely meeting you, Karin-chan," He winked at Karin as Lyall turned with her to keep proceeding into the Summit Hall. Karin snuck a glance back at the captain as they walked away. Just as she suspected, his face was no longer smiling, but looked to be that of deep thought.

_I wonder what he's bothered about..._

"The Captain of the Eighth Division is more congenial when he isn't inebriated," Lyall stated casually, seeing the unsettled look on Karin's face. "Tonight probably wasn't the best time to meet him."

* * *

Yoruichi Shihouin was for the first time in a very long period...anxious. She had followed Lyall cautiously from a safe distance so he couldn't detect her, all the while trying to blend into the group of aristocrats constantly running into her, greeting her with dumb wide smiles. It was times like these that Yoruichi wished she wasn't so well-reknowned.

_I wish I'd brought Kisuke to this idiotic gathering...at least he could distract them..._

To make matters worse, Leta hadn't reported back yet, which was unusual for her. She was well-known for gathering information quickly, but in this case, nearly an hour and a half had passed since Leta had gone to "chat" with the nobles, and it drove the feline woman to insanity wondering if she should chase Leta first or Karin.

_Leta could have run into trouble with a Council member, _Yoruichi thought impatiently, as she rooted herself next to an exotic plant in the main room of the Noble Summit hall, _and Karin does have Lyall protecting her...but still that places Karin in possibly more danger considering Lyall's loyalty to the council. He would be in no place to object any of their decisions...and he's not extremely loyal to Karin to say the least, much less concerned about her well being-_

"For heaven's sake, Yoruichi," Soi Fon's voice caused the cat woman to jump out of her daze. The petite captain was standing in front of her, looking thoroughly peeved, "Were you that worried I wouldn't find Captain Kuchiki?"

The cat woman realized she must have looked disturbed while thinking, and quickly covered with a large, cheshire cat grin, "Oh? No, I knew you'd find him." She glanced over Soi Fon's shoulder, "Speaking of which, I like the outfit, Byakuya. You did know Haoris were optional, right?"

Byakuya was dressed in a pink and purple, cherry blossom embroidaried, robe with Shinigami robes underneath it and his Captain's Haori draped in its usual fashion. He glared with dagger eyes at the cat woman.

"As unprofessional as ever, aren't we Yoruichi?" He said coldly, giving her dress a sneer.

Yoruichi rolled her eyes, _You know you like it_, "I'm not a captain anymore, so I'm not obliged to be on pins and needles every five seconds." She stopped and suddenly glanced at Soi Fon, "Where is Shou?"

"Oh, _him_," Soi Fon's cheeks reddened, her eyebrows drawing inward angrily, "What the Hell have you been thinking Yoruichi?"

The Femme Feline blinked, "Eh?"

Soi Fon held out her son, as if he was infested with a plague. Shou Shihouin was dressed in all black robes, with little orange diamond designs across the bottom. Around his neck was a tiny dark green bowtie that matched Yoruichi's dress; but perched on his dark chocolate locks was a orange and white vertically striped bucket hat, the edges of the hat's top shaped into orange and white striped cat ears. Other than his skin and hair tones, he looked like a miniature Urahara.

"_Seriously_?" Soi Fon's voice had dropped to a high-pitched whisper, "His father's identity is _supposed _to be a _secret_, isn't it?"

"I don't see the problem," Yoruichi yawned. "They're just normal robes and a bowtie."

"The _hat_, Yoruichi," Soi Fon growled, irritated beyond recognition. She was almost shaking Shou, who was blowing a spit bubble nonchalantly.

"Who would know it's his?" Yoruichi gave Soi Fon an irritated look in return, "It's not like they've seen Kisuke outside this world. Besides," She grabbed Shou and gave him a nibbly kiss on the cheek, "He looks adorable!"

Soi Fon fell over in despair; there was no winning the battle with the were-cat. Byakuya's glare deepened in disgust, his hands balled into closed fists at his side.

"Utterly inexcusable," He muttered under his breath.

To Yoruichi's utmost relief, Layla Kamaguchi noticed the four of them standing against the wall of the room and gracefully glided towards them, her green braid now swinging behind her back with a slow fluid twist.

"For two individuals who supposedly cannot see eye to eye," She glanced from Byakuya to Yoruichi, "You two seem to constantly be in the same vacinity."

Byakuya huffed arrogantly, "It's not by choice, I assure you Madame Kamaguchi."

Soi Fon curtly bowed her head, "Madame."

Yoruichi saw an opening and took it. "Layla, I have to excuse myself momentarily. Would you care to watch Shou? I've burdened Byakuya and Soi Fon far enough tonight." She placed her son into Layla's gentle arms. The older Shinigami bounced the boy lightly, a small smile growing on her face.

"Of course, he's too precious to say 'no' to," She softly hugged him.

Byakuya glanced up at Yoruichi, "Where is my ward, Shihouin?"

Yoruichi gave him a quick stare as she started to walk away, "How should I know, Byakuya? She's _your _ward," and walked quickly out of sight.

The restroom door slam echoed in the luxuriously huge bathroom. _Thank God you exist, Layla Kamaguchi, _Yoruichi thought with relief, her hands resting on the edge of the sink, a dark swirled green marble top. She couldn't detect any spiritual pressure around her; concluding the restroom was empty. The cat woman glanced at her face in the long oval mirror; it looked paler than usual. _Now what?_

As if the heavens could read her mind, the golden framed window behind her that was above the restroom stall, mainly used to vent air in and out of the bathroom, opened from the outside and a small black butterfly flittered into the restroom. Yoruichi, understanding instantly, reached out her hand and let the tiny insect rest on the side of her hand, listening to its message in her right ear.

Yoruichi's eyes widened. The voice from the butterfly whispered,

_This is Leta. Take the door to the left of the sink you're standing at. It leads outside, but you won't have to go back through the Aristocrats in the Main Room. Meet me by the vent the butterfly traveled through. Be quick._

* * *

"Do you usually wait this long to speak with them?"

Karin and Lyall were sitting on a small crimson colored futon outside what Lyall told her was the Council Lounge Area. The giant mahogany doors had been shut for the last ten minutes, forcing them to wait on the fancy bench until it was 'their turn' to see the Council members.

"It was quicker when I was here earlier," Lyall said without a smile, looking none too happy that they had to wait in the first place, "But since it's getting later, the Nobles figure they need to get the greetings out of the way before they become too intoxicated."

"Why do they have to greet the council in the first place?" Karin's legs were crossed in the same fashion as her arms were at her chest.

Lyall sighed, as if explaining would be a pain, "It's common curtiousy, considering they keep most of these Nobles supplied with all the funds needed for their mansions and accessories, showing reverence is the least they can do."

"So they supply your family with money?" Karin offered in a barely testy voice, a lone eyebrow raised with playful skepticism.

Lyall frowned at the gesture, "Hardly. Our family is one of the Four Noble Families. We don't need any funds from the Council," He paused, as if thoughtfully considering his next words, "The rest of the aristocrats here are only Nobles by association or distilled Noble blood. There used to be more Noble Families than four, but over time tainted blood and spirits forced them to drop from the High Nobility. Now the Council merely alters laws and stipulations to favor their own personal gain." Lyall glanced skeptically at Karin, "Did you understand all of that."

Karin sighed with a small smile and rested her chin in her palm, "Not really, but I believe you."

"In any case," Lyall returned his gaze to the doors ahead of them, "It shouldn't be too much longer."

* * *

Yoruichi crouched down into the shadows as she followed Leta from the spot where they had met outside the Summit Hall restroom to a new spot near the perimeter gate of the grounds. From a distance there was the sound of chatter and faint hints of music, but the people in no way would be able to hear what the two Shinigami told each other from such a distance.

"Is it safe out here?" Yoruichi asked through the darkness.

"Very," Leta's voice was blunt, "The spell cast around the gates will prevent anyone from coming near here. The surveillance in turn is completely focused on the mansion, since that's where everyone is gathered. We'll be safe to talk here."

Once near the outer wall, Leta released Yoruichi's arm, which she had grabbed and drug Yoruichi away with, and faced the older Shinigami. Her face was tense,

"Did anyone see you leave?"

"No," Yoruichi frowned. She didn't like seeing Leta look so uptight and upset; it was outside her character in the worst way, "Where have you been? I was starting to get worried. Not to mention Byakuya's growing restless-"

"Where is Karin?" Leta cut her off, her hazel eyes looking black in the evening darkness.

"With your brother," Yoruichi's voice was pained as she saw Leta's eyes widen, "I'm sorry, he came and took her and there was no room for reason to interfere; our fears of the Council wanting to see her seem to be confirming themselves."

Leta frowned, "We have to get her away from them."

"You have to tell me what happened, Leta," Yoruichi had straightened, looking down at the small Shinigami. Leta looked like she was more than willing to explain everything.

"I've talked with more nobles tonight than I have in the last one hundred years," Leta began, her eyes looking weary as if she'd just finished a marathon, "There's buzz all around the Summit tonight-"

"About Karin?" Yoruichi inquired with furrowed brows.

"No," a fist rose to rest nervously against Leta's bottom lip, "Ichigo Kurosaki."

Yoruichi blinked, her eyes looking almost childish they were so dumbfounded, "Ichigo?"

"Rumor has it that he's disappeared from the Real World," Leta raised an eyebrow, her voice sounding conflicted, "Several nobles are saying that he's no longer there and the Twelfth Division can't trace his reitsu at all anymore." Her eyes narrowed, "Did you know of this?"

Yoruichi frowned, as if she was being forced to reveal something she'd rather not, "Yes, I knew he was leaving the Real World for Hueco Mundo."

"_What_?" Leta had lowered her voice, but the tone was still one of incredulity, "Why on Earth didn't you mention this sooner Yoruichi?"

"It's nothing important," The cat woman countered with an irritated huff, "Kisuke told me months ago that he was planning on leaving the Real World to train," Yoruichi replied with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulder, "He's done it before, and no one cared or noticed. Plus, Isshin is still there to take care of things while he's gone...and there's Urahara's Shoten. Why do the nobles take interest now?"

Leta's face looked restless, "I wish you had told me this sooner, Yoruichi."

"I didn't think it was vital information," Yoruichi argued, "Why do the nobles care, Leta? What does this have to do with Karin? Keep going, what did you find out?"

Leta's eyes raised to meet Yoruichi's, "Three months ago, do you remember the notice that the Twelfth Division sent out to the Gotei 13? Concerning the spiritual activity around Karakura?"

Yoruichi looked like she was trying to remember, "About the energy fluctuations and random Gargantas opening up? Yes, but they didn't seem too threatening so they discontinued any research on the matter."

"To you and the rest of us," Leta's eyes were gleaming in the darkness. "But according to several nobles, the Council thought there might have been more to it, so they in turn ordered the Twelfth Division to explore the fluctuations in greater detail-"

"Wait," Yoruichi interrupted, her face clearly confused, "The Gotei 13 Divisions weren't given any notice of this."

"No, they weren't," Leta smiled grimly, "It's gets better. Not only did the Council order the Twelfth Division to explore the matter underground to appease the nobles concern, but they did it without acknowledging their orders to the Captain Commander, and apparently," Leta paused, her eyes looking a mix of frustration and disbelief, "the entire Kido Corps actually volunteered to send members into the Gargantas to _investigate _this activity."

Yoruichi's mouth opened slightly. There was a beat before she could speak, "Lyall?"

"I don't know!" Leta cried out in frustration, her hands resting on top of her head, avoiding her huge buns of hair. "He hasn't said anything about this! I just found this out because the Nobles are all up in arms concerning what they discovered!"

"Calm down," Yoruichi gripped Leta's shoulders, lowering herself to eye level with the Captain, as she soothingly continued, "Just..._what_...did they find out?"

"The cause of the spiritual pressure fluctuations and the random gargantas," Leta let her eyes bore into Yoruichi's, "were caused by Vasto Lordes. The real deal, Yoruichi; real Vasto Lordes."

Yoruichi's grip slackened a hair. Leta looked away, her eyes closing in frustration,

"The nobles here probably don't even know what the Hell a Vasto Lordes is, much less what it's capable of, but it was enough of a trigger word to get them riled up. Then," She looked back to Yoruichi, "A noble told me that the Kido Corps reported to the Council they had found a link to Vasto Lordes to sending Arrancars into Karakura Town-"

Yoruichi laughed darkly, "Pfft! An obvious conclusion-"

"-to commune with Ichigo Kurosaki."

This threw the cat woman completely off guard. Her voice lowered, "_What_?"

"It's been a chain of chaos building under the surface of the Soul Society with the nobles, you have no idea. Right after the Kido Corps announced this to the council, an Arrancar entered Karakura and ambushed Captain Hitsugaya and Vice-Captain Hinamori Momo," Leta's eyes grew sad, "And who should just happen to be there, but-?"

Yoruichi stared off into the distance, her mouth gaped open in horror, "Karin..."

"Exactly. The Council is convinced that Ichigo is in cahoots with the Vasto Lordes and that he ordered the attack on Captain Hitsugaya and Hinamori, with his next move plotting against the Soul Society, and-"

"-is using Karin as a spy to infiltrate the Soul Society from within." Yoruichi slapped her hand against her forehead, "All this time we thought that the Council was using Karin to recruit Ichigo to rejoin the Soul Society," She groaned. It was becoming so obvious that had been a poor assumption. She wished Urahara was here, so he could help them sort out all their information.

"The Nobles don't know about Karin's involvement." Leta reassured her friend, "The Council had no hard evidence to convict Karin publicly without revealing all the underground activity the Kido Corps and Twelfth Division had been conducting to the Captain Commander, so to cover it up, they enlisted her to 'become' a full-fledged Shinigami. They even placed her with a Noble Captain to ensure if they had to execute her secretly, they could do it undetected."

Yoruichi shook her head, "Problem is, Byakuya would never kill Karin for them."

"They think otherwise," Leta frowned. "Our problems don't end here though. Since Ichigo has left the Real World; apparently to go to Hueco Mundo, the nobles here think that he's getting ready to put plans into motion to possibly attack the Sereitei."

Yoruichi rose angrily to her feet, "They can't think that Karin is going to be a part of it! We have to get her out of here, Leta. Before the Council draws any irrational conclusions and acts blindly."

"I couldn't agree more," Leta nodded her head assertively, "If my brother is involved with any of this nonsense, her being with him is the most dangerous situation at the moment. I just cannot believe he hasn't told me any of this. It's unlike his nature not to share information with me."

"I'm sorry, Leta," Yoruichi hung her head slightly, "I should never have let them leave together from my sight. I had no idea the gravity of this-"

"Please, don't friend," Leta patted her shoulder, "Our goal now is get Karin out of the Council's grasp. Then we'll relocate and decide how to find out more with my brother's involvement, and how to handle the Ichigo situation."

"_What _Ichigo situation?"

Yoruichi and Leta spun around so fast that questioner backed away in fright and fell to the ground, their hands cushioning the blow of the sudden impact. The two Shinigami stared at the two figures in front of them.

Renji reached down with a steady glare at Yoruichi and Leta, lifting Rukia up off the ground from under her arms; The female Shinigami still looked a little shaken from her fall.

"Renji," Leta murmured in confusion.

Yoruichi sighed, "You two would eavesdrop."

"Now see," Renji gave Rukia an irritated glare, "I told you that they wouldn't appreciate our assistance."

Rukia was fully up and on her feet, "We heard almost everything." She gave Leta a respectful stare, "I was in the Real World when Ichigo left...but I doubt he has anything to do with these Vasto Lordes."

"Is Karin in that much danger?" Renji cut in, his eyes masked in concern. Rukia glanced up at him with mild surprise etched on her face.

"She will be if we don't act soon," Yoruichi scowled.

"Follow us," Leta motioned to Renji and Rukia, a sudden playful smirk building on her face, "You two could actually be of more of a blessing to us now than you know."

_**Okay...So Part Two in the Noble Summit Ball chapters is complete! **_

_**Next chapter: TOSHIRO! KENPACHI! And...you'll have to read to see! ^^**_

_**I'm going to be gone from Tuesday to Saturday next week, so I'm hoping to get a chapter up before then. Wish me luck! Oh, and Let me know what you thought of this chapter! **_

_**Also, as promised, here is my bio for Leta Kamaguchi! Enjoy!**_

_**Romania Black**_

**Name: Leta Kamaguchi (Gladly, Mouth of God)  
Rank: 30th generation Kamaguchi family Noble, 3rd Seat of 7th Division**

**Age: 200  
Height: 138 cm (about 4'8")  
Birthday: April 2nd**

***Originally planned to attend the Kido Corps, but signed up for the Soul Reaper Academy by her sister Layla instead. Finished and joined the 7th Division, rising from tenth seat to Third, in only ten years.**

***Promoted to Academy instructor by late Captain Commander Yammamoto in Soul Reaper combat over half a century ago.**

***Likes Neon colors, especially yellow. Also likes Sweet and Sour Chicken, Puppies, hiking, and Sparring, with an emphasis on hand-to-hand combat. **

***Has grown her hair out since she was a child, only trimming it to avoid split ends. It's as long as she is tall, and she constantly restyles it.**

***The youngest of the Kamaguchi siblings, she is known for her combat/fighting abilities.**

***Zanpaktou: Ibuki no Kemono (Breath of the Beast)**


	38. The Gloves are Off

Okay, so 3 notes from the Author. I promise I won't take long, because this chapter is LONG enough as it is!

1. This chapter was _SO MUCH FUN_ to write! It just flowed so quickly and by far It's my _**favorite **_chapter in this story I've written, and I am beyond excited for you to read it! As they say, the plot thickens!

2. I put a note in the last chapter saying Kenpachi would be in this chapter...uhm...no. He, sadly, is only mentioned, but he'll be making an appearance soon! Promise!

3. I had _**SO **_many wonderful reviews of this last chapter! _**THANK YOU!**_ I'm glad you are all enjoying it! Special Thanks and Mentions to the following:

**Bloodyrose1294 **(I'm glad you like the OC's I've made! I feel sometimes they can come as standoffish for readers...hmmm, as for Karin being Out of character, that's something for me to work on! How do you see her? I always like hearing people's different opinions of characters. I'm happy you're liking it so far though!), **fanficfreak103 **(I'm really really happy you like it! I hope this update was soon enough), **Garnet-Asian Angel **(hmm, you may be the closest to being right about Lyall! :) Congratulations! haha, As for Karin and the Council, you'll see what happens this chapter, bwahaha), **theloverofanime **(No need, rants are welcome! haha, as for Lyall, yes he's a creep, but he's so fun to write as a creep. There's more to him than meets the eye. As for Yoruichi bringing Kisuke, I would have LOVED for him to be there, but the Nobles don't know he's with Yoruichi...yeah, they're blind like that, but I'm sure Shou will have to visit the Shoten at some point. ;P ), **bleach-chan **(ah, of course Byakuya has a ridiculous title for Karin. And I agree, sometimes people overdo shipping fanfics. As for Karin's love life, she's ONLY 13, you know? Don't worry, she WILL be older by the end of this fanfic if all goes "according to plan", but for now, a crush is about all she'll get built up. And I'm beyond grateful this is your favorite fanfic! haha, makes me work harder), **Turtle-chan in Blue **(haha! Well, Byakuya wouldn't hesitate to do some damage to Leta if he could, but for the sake of his nobility, he won't hurt Karin...and for his sister-in-law's happiness too! Thanks for reviewing both chapters!), and finally **Stormcrowley **(Thanks for the correction, I had no idea I was writing Zanpakuto wrong this WHOLE time! haha, I have hence forth corrected it. ^^ As for Shunsui, we'll see what happens with him, but you're certainly right about his loyalties. Actually ALL your assumptions in your review are pretty much spot on! Renji and Rukia though will have an...interesting role in this chapter. You'll have to read to see! )

As promised, at the bottom of this chapter is Kamaguchi Character Bio #2: Lyall! It's brief like Leta's but just a little something extra I'd like to share. These bios were really fun to make! I hope you like this one on Lyall, who has _QUITE _a role this chapter! As always,

Enjoy the story,

Romania Black

**Chapter Thirty-Eight**

**Our skin is built in layers  
Not only to conceal these pasts  
But to hide these tears  
That still fall fresh on our faces**

"If we're going to stop Karin from seeing the Council members in the Lounge Area, we have to get past the main ballroom," Rukia exhaled as Yoruichi and Leta moved swiftly towards the back of the building, Renji and Rukia trailing barely behind them. "How do you two plan on doing that?"

The four crouched near a row of hedges adorned with light fuschia blooms as Leta gazed in the large window to the main room of the Summit Hall. The oversized ballroom was packed with Nobles and Council members, who had all retreated indoors from the cooling evening air.

"There isn't a strategy that's going to be easy," Leta replied, staring through the branches into the window, her voice tight, "There are so many aristocrats inside that getting past them undetected would prove almost impossible; especially since Yoruichi, you, and I are Nobles ourselves. We stick out like sore thumb."

Renji was crouched in a squat beside Rukia, who seemed a child next to his larger frame. Luckily the hedges were tall. "I can get in," He said, his voice serious, "They won't pay attention to me at all."

Yoruichi gave him a sad look, "That's unfortunately true, but you don't know where the Council Area Lounge in the Hall is located. Wandering around would also attract negative attention to you as well." She paused, frowning, "No, it needs to be Leta and I going in."

"I'm going too," Rukia objected, "Karin is Ichigo's sister, and I am partially responsible for her in the first place."

Yoruichi was about to inquire as to how, but Leta interrupted her,

"Renji can't fend off a group of Nobles alone, Rukia." She added softly, her hazel eyes glinting at the Kuchiki noble, "For Karin's sake, you need to stay with him. What we need at this moment," She looked back at the window, "Is a way to distract all of these Nobles so Yoruichi and I can flash step past unnoticed."

"I could perform Bankai," Renji smirked, adding a tip of playfullness to the tense air. The three stared at him with dubious blank stares.

"Don't be ridiculous, Renji," Rukia snorted with a glare, "The Nobles would be running from here in a heartbeat...you'd just cause a panic."

Leta smiled the first true smile she had in the last hour, "Hmmm, or...," She glanced from Rukia to Renji with a devilish gleam in her eye, "I have a better idea. Well," She paused and bit her bottom lip, "_Kind _of a better idea. Better than what we have so far..."

Rukia stared at Leta with a heavy skepticism on her face, her eyes drooping low, "I have a feeling I'm going to regret asking this," She sighed, "But what?"

"You and Renji can distract the Council members as well as the other Nobles by creating a fake announcement to draw their attention." Leta smiled proudly, "Gather them to the front of the room, so Yoruichi and I could sneak past."

"What kind of announcement?" Renji asked eagerly, thinking this was actually a decent plan.

"That you two are engaged," Leta announced bluntly.

Rukia, Renji, and Yoruichi, who had nearly fell face forward out of the hedge upon hearing, all turned at gave Leta incredulous stares.

"What?" Leta looked at all of them, her smile fading, "Our other plan was letting a Bankai loose in the middle of the Noble Summit Hall. I just thought this one was more practical."

"_Practical_?" Rukia's eyes were wide in shock, "Practical to tell a Hall of two hundred people I'm marrying Renji?"

Renji didn't say anything, but looked a mix of surprise and slight amusement at the idea. Rukia shot him an icy stare, "Are you actually entertaining this idea?" She growled.

"Well, no," Renji finally replied, his hand scratching his chin, "I can't imagine that Captain Kuchiki would like hearing his sister is marrying anyone tonight," He mentally shuddered at the thought of his Captain's expression upon hearing such announcement, "Besides, I'm not nobility," He turned his eyes to Leta and Yoruichi, "Aren't there laws against Rukongai people marrying Nobles?"

"Of course," Yoruichi noted sourly, giving Leta a hard stare as if to say _Leta, you know that_, "We can't go off shaming the Kuchiki family, not at an occasion like this at least," She added with a playful pinch to her voice. But it wasn't enough to lighten the mood of the group.

Leta's eager smile had all but faded completely, "Well then what _are _we going to do?"

"Perhaps I could be of assistance?"

The four looked to their left with frozen eyes, their mouths shut in fear that they were caught. But the new guest didn't seem surprised by the gesture; on the contrary, she looked relieved.

"I was hoping that you were hiding in these hedges because your information was supposed to be secret," Layla Kamaguchi ran a hand down her dark green braid fondly, "Otherwise I'd worry for your mental sanity."

Leta was the first to unfreeze, "Layla," Her eyes still wide, "How did you-?

"I left Shou with Soi Fon," Layla softly grinned, "And came out here for some fresh air; it's particularly stuffy in the Main Room. That's when I heard you speaking, Leta. I daresay," She ran her eyes across the other three, "This is an odd place to be gathering. Aren't there some rooms inside you could meet in?"

"We're here because of precisely that problem. Please, listen sister," Leta's eyes were pleading, "I wish I could explain entirely, but we don't have time. I need to ask a heavy burden from you."

Layla seemed all ears. "This must be a serious matter," She noted with a frown.

"I need you to create a diversion amongst every Noble and Council Member in the main ballroom," Leta explained in a dreadingly heavy voice, "so that we can sneak past them undetected."

Her elder sister looked at Leta gravely; asking this type of favor was not what she had expected. "You ask me of a dangerous order, sister," Layla uttered, looking straight into her sister's hazel eyes, "What kind of illegal activity are you four participating in that I need to distract them?"

"It's not illegal," Leta countered reassuringly, "It's actually for the benefit of the council, but we mustn't be seen." Leta smiled grimly, "I would not ask you to do this if it wasn't so urgent or necessary, sister." The younger sister frowned. "It concerns Lyall as well," She added as if she hadn't wanted to, but had no choice. He was their brother, the one thing that could give an extra push into gaining Layla's assistance.

Layla's grey eyes widened, her lips thinned. "I see," She paused, looking at the ground pensively, her arms crossed for what seemed to Renji and Rukia hours, but to Leta and Yoruichi, they knew only a minute at the most. "Fine. I know what I'm going to do." She turned and gave Renji a sideways, serene glance, "But I will need your presence, Lieutenant Abarai."

"Oh! Uh, ah-alright," Renji stammered, nodding after a second's hesitation.

"Excellent," Leta placed her fist in the palm of her other hand. Things were in motion. "Yoruichi and I will sneak past the main room with you three distracting the aristocrats."

"If you don't need me, Layla, I'm going with Leta and Yoruichi," Rukia rose from her crouch to her feet, her dark eyes fiercely determined.

Yoruichi sighed, cutting off Leta, who was about to object, "There's no point in turning her away now."

"Fine," Leta said hesitantly, "Let's go then." She gave Layla a worried glance, "Are you going to be okay? I'm sorry, sister. I don't want you doing anything you'll regret, or that will affect your reputation with the Nobles."

Layla gave Leta a ghost of a grin, "After almost a quarter of a millennium of attending these affairs, there's not much I can say that would ruin my reputation."

* * *

Toshiro Hitsugaya hated formal parties for three reasons.

The first, was that he could never find anything to wear that would make him seem his age. Despite being over three-quarters of a century old, he still was forced to wear black and white collared robes that made him look ridiculously young, like a school boy. To avoid this mishap, he had chosen to wear his simple Shinigami robes and Captain's haori this year; making him look incredibly bland compared to the other captain's that had at least dressed up,even the ones that were still wearing their haoris.

Second, Captain Hitsugaya had no interest in talking with any of the Nobles. He had grown up in the Rukongai his entire life before joining the Gotei 13. As such, most of the aristocrats there, once they discovered his origins, didn't exactly want to swap childhood tales with him either. This left the Captain sulking most of the night beside the snack table in the Main Room. Rangiku had requested from the Twelfth Division that they make a television that could channel shows from the Real World. She mainly watched shows about adolescents in High school settings. Right now, he felt like the left-out in a Real World Prom setting.

Finally, since he was easy to spot as a Captain, and didn't talk to the Nobles, he was left with one other option: Talk to the other Captains. He wouldn't have minded this, except he saw most of these individuals on a daily basis anyway; there wasn't much new to talk about.

Toshiro had managed to start conversation with Captain Komamura as the large dog-man poured himself a glass of pink punch. Or rather, Toshiro did. It was difficult for the large captain to grip the tiny ladle, so Hitsugaya poured it into his glass for him.

"Thank you," Komamura nodded in a deep rumbling voice. "I was talking with Captain Soi Fon a moment ago, but she is watching over Yoruichi's son, and had to retreat to the restroom with him."

It was exactly this type of conversation that Toshiro didn't care for. "I see...I forgot Yoruichi had a child."

"Indeed," the larger Captain said in a low voice, "He looks especially similar to-"

"I normally wouldn't interrupt a conversation," Captain Byakuya Kuchiki strolled towards the table, his long white haori swinging gracefully in a paralell fashion as his baby blue Noble scarf, "But I need to ask if you two have seen Miss Karin Kurosaki here."

Captain Komamura shook his head gravely. Toshiro's eyes widened slightly, "Karin? She's here?" There was an worried inclination in his voice that caused Komamura's head to tilt his direction curiously.

"So it's rumored," Byakuya ground his teeth, his voice icy, "Yoruichi Shihouin was supposed to be helping me locate her, but she's disappeared as well." His eyes narrowed as he looked around the room, "The nature of this evening is suspicious."

Toshiro crossed his arms at his chest, "Why don't you just locate her spiritual pressure? Karin's not had enough time to practice hiding it." Though he had to wonder as he said this why he himself wasn't able to detect her earlier.

Captain Kuchiki shut his eyes in mild frustration, "I would of course attempted this first; but it's impossible to detect spiritual pressures here."

The diminuitive captain's eyes widened, "Pardon?"

"It's true," Komamura cut in, "Many of the Nobles here are of weak constitutions. Were they to read the spiritual pressure of a Captain or get too close to a powerful individual, they could faint. As such, the Kido Corps placed a neutralizer on this entire complex. As long as we're here, our spiritual pressures will not register with one another."

It made sense then why Toshiro couldn't detect her. "That's horribly disadvantageous to you, Captain," He said, eyeing Byakuya.

"Indeed," The Captain sneered, looking to Komamura. "Where is Leta Kamaguchi, your escort?"

The larger captain gave a gruff frown, "She informed me she had to take a moment to 'powder up'," He said as if a verbatum excuse.

Byakuya's eyes narrowed into grey-purple slits, "Curiouser and curiouser," He said in a low, humming hiss. He was about to ask Komamura another question, when he was cut off by the sound of a microphone clicking on.

The entire audience in the ballroom turned their heads in surprise and confusion towards the front of the room, where Renji Abarai stood next to the eldest Kamaguchi sister, Layla, who was holding a small black microphone in her hand, but still looking regally elegant.

"If I may," Layla said in a calm, melodic voice, "Would you please come here to the front of the room? I have an announcement for all Nobles and Council Members to hear."

Toshiro blinked, making sure he was seeing correctly. "I think I know her...I've seen her here at these formals before."

Komamura was staring with wide yellow eyes, "Layla Kamaguchi," He said in slight awe, "Leta's sister, the eldest of the Noble Kamaguchi family." He looked to Toshiro, "This is very unlike her character; she almost never speaks aloud in groups."

Toshiro looked curiously back towards the front of the room, where all the Nobles and Council Members were now gathered, all with anxious and unsettled faces leaning towards Layla's direction. "Isn't that Renji with her?"

The question was directed towards Captain Kuchiki, but Byakuya didn't answer. His face was prone as he silently stared at his Lieutenant standing beside Layla.

"Thank you," She said softly, smiling sweetly. "I regret gathering you here on such short notice, as the night is drawing to a climax, but I could no longer hold off my restraint. I, Layla Kamaguchi, am considered one of the older, purest of suigetsu amongst those here." She broke off, staring into the crowd, as if searching for something or someone. In the meantime, many Noble women were nodding their heads enthusiastically in admittance, waving finely crafted paper fans to cool their sweating faces.

Layla, apparently not finding what she was looking for, continued, "I understand my position is one of duty to the Council of 46, and to the Soul Society. My obligation has always been to further the pure blood of nobility amongst those in the Soul Society, though I admit I have more than failed in this duty." She paused, "But since our last reunion at this Summit Hall, there has been a development that will only push us further into rejoicing our heritage as Suigetsu once more." All eyes were on her now.

"Long winded much?" Toshiro muttered to Komamura under his breath. Byakuya seemed too distracted by her speech to notice, which Toshiro was thankful for. "What's a suigetsu, again?"

"Pure blood," Komamura noted quickly, his ears perked towards Layla with intense focus.

Layla seemed to be scanning the crowd again, he eyes finally seeming to find what she was looking for. A small, but tragic, smile crossed her face. Renji looked from Layla out into the crowd. _She's certainly buying us enough time, _he thought, _Now what's she looking at...?_ He tried to trace her gaze out into the audience, and when he found who she was staring at, his face instantly paled.

"As the Second-in-Command of the Kamaguchi Clan, one of the Four Noble Families in the Soul Society, with the witness of Sixth Division Vice-Captain Renji Abarai, it is my great honor to announce to the Council and Nobles that Captain Byakuya Kuchiki, Noble Leader of the Kuchiki Clan, and I are to be wed."

There was a second of stunned silence that froze the Summit Hall Main Room. Toshiro looked in surprise to Komamura, whose mouth was gaped open in shock, to Captain Kuchiki, who was staring straight ahead with the most blank, lost expression anyone could muster.

Suddenly, without warning, the entire ballroom erupted into thunderous applause, the aristocrat women rattling their golden bangles and jewelry together in celebratory approval. Renji felt his body lock into place; _Oh dear God, what have I gotten myself into?_

Layla locked eyes with Byakuya, her mouth forming an apologetic smile that said to him, _Please forgive me, _but to the other aristocrats, merely seemed endearing towards him. They gave simultaneous "awws" to the gesture.

What happened next was something Renji had only seen once before, in the half a century he'd known his Captain. Byakuya smiled at Layla; no, it was more a smirk. Byakuya was smirking, actually _smirking_, at Layla. Renji stared at his Captain flabbergasted.

But Renji couldn't read Byakuya's mind at that moment. What appeared to be the most endearing of looks between future man and wife was anything but. Layla knew what he was thinking, that he'd already figured out the ruse. She knew he wasn't an idiot; she only prayed he would forgive her for such a shameful act.

_So tonight does indeed have a suspicious nature,_ He thought as he smirked her direction, the Nobles starting to crowd around him. _Clever, Layla, Clever indeed._ _But I will find out what Leta and Yoruichi are doing, and how they recruited you to be in their service. Mark my words..._

* * *

"Did you hear that applause?" Rukia asked as she looked over her shoulder. The three were dashing in and out of hallways, heading towards the Council Lounge Area. "I couldn't hear what she said, but apparently it worked."

Leta glanced back to Rukia as they ran, "My sister's smart; I'm sure she thought of something good."

"It's back here at the rear of the manor, in seclusion," Yoruichi explained to Rukia, "But the Council Lounge is right ahead."

"I'll see to Lyall," Leta declared with a hardened smile, "We'll see how much dear brother knows about all of this."

The three turned a corner and were suddenly at the end of the hall. In front of them was an exit door to the grounds, the sides of two giant mahogany doors and a crimson futon; upon which sat two dressed up individuals: a startled Karin Kurosaki, and a bored-appearing Lyall Kamaguchi, his arms crossed at his chest.

Karin's navy eyes were full of bewilderment, "Rukia! Leta! Yoruichi!" She smiled wide, "I haven't seen you all night! Wait, I thought you had already talked to the Nobles?"

"Oh we have," Leta smiled viciously, looking straight at her brother, "Lyall, may I have a word with you before you visit the council?" Her smile deepened, "It shouldn't take but a moment."

Lyall blinked at his sister, his face unreadable, then slowly rose to his feet. "Certainly, sister. Let's go down this hall here," he pointed the direction they had just came from, then pivoted in place to glance down at Karin, "I'll return shortly."

The two walked away, leaving Rukia and Yoruichi with Karin, who was staring at Lyall and Leta walking calmly away to the other hallway.

"What's up with Leta?" Karin had never seen her instructor look so menacing.

"Karin, listen up," Rukia snapped the young Shinigami's attention back to her and Yoruichi, "This is important!"

"Okay," Karin said in a frazzled, confused voice, "What is it?"

* * *

"Well?" Leta was pacing slightly, her arms crossed at her chest in an irritated fashion. Her brother and her were out of anyone's sight for the moment. "What do you have to say?"

"Nothing other than you look ravishing, sister," Lyall was leaning against the wall nonchalantly, his hands casually dug into the pockets of his suit. "I'm quite curious as to why you would bring me over here to ask nonsensical questions."

"Don't even start," Leta snapped at him, her index finger shoved against his chest, "The Nobles have told me all about the Kido Corps involvement with the Garganta situation in Karakura."

Lyall's eyes lifted a touch, his dark brown eyes boring into hers questioningly, "The _what _situation?"

Leta hadn't expected this answer, so her initial reaction was to take a step backwards. But she stopped herself before backing any further. "Don't be coy, Lyall. The Kido Corps have been sending in investigators to explore the Vasto Lordes in Hueco Mundo and their connection to Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Oh _that_," Lyall smiled slyly, "They're actually calling it 'Op: VL' so _your _title for it confused me," He paused just enough to be satisfied at the horrific look on his sister's face, "Yes I know about it."

"You...do?" She hadn't wanted to believe the rumors the Nobles stated until she'd heard them from his own mouth.

"Of course," Lyall adjusted the wrist-cuff on his right arm, "Naturally I don't believe these reports. The Vasto Lordes are isolating hollows that feed off other hollows and typically do not involve themselves in human or Shinigami affairs." He sighed, as if bored, "Communicating with a Substitute Shinigami," He glanced at his sister in the eyes, "Despite his abilities that are connected to them, is simply a bizarre and baseless accusation."

Leta, letting the information soak in, let out a breathy sigh, lowering her index finger, and giving her brother a genuinely relieved grin. "Lyall, thank you."

Her brother looked confused, "For what?"

"For reassuring me," Leta smiled, "I thought you were in on this entire crazy story...or at least believed it. It's good to know you haven't fallen off the deep end," She smiled wide.

"I've hardly lost my sanity," Lyall replied, not smiling.

"But then," Leta scratched her head, smiling, but in a confused manner, "Are you having Karin meet the Council? If you don't believe any of this ridiculous report why not correct them?" Her eyes narrowed, "Speaking of which, Lyall, why did you authorize this activity in the first place?"

Lyall closed his eyes in mocked frustration, "So many questions, sister." He looked up at the ceiling, "I hate exposition-"

"You'd better get used to it," Leta countered, her grin fading slightly, "Because we're informing Karin of all this 'exposition' too."

"Oh dear," Lyall frowned, but in an oddly amused manner, "Shouldn't all this be obvious sister? I guess it shouldn't, since you aren't familiar with the Kido Corps." He scratched his wavy auburn hair and eyed her wearily.

"Cut to the chase, brother," Leta bluntly stated, her eyes narrowed.

"I never ordered the investigation." Lyall stated just as bluntly, "The Vice-Captain of the Kido Corps is responsible for the Outer Corps Research and Development, not me. Anything that was connected with this Op: VL was the doing of my Lieutenant, Madame Madadharma."

"Then," Leta cut in, "Why haven't you stopped her?"

"The Council ordered me not to," Lyall said just as simply.

Leta stared at him with a blank expression.

"Sister, I'm a figure head of the Kido Corps, its Captain. My power is to stabilize our unit, research new Kido, and maintain military efficiency and discipline in correspondence with the Gotei 13. I could, pardon my language, not give a shit about this Vasto Lordes business." He turned his head looking stern, "However, the Council funds our unit, and has supreme control over its very existence. They see a powerful virus infecting and killing cells amongst the organs of the Soul Society and are trying their best to remove it without using a vaccine."

"So they think that by using Karin Kurosaki, they can drive out Ichigo and destroy him?" Leta asked incredulously. "_That _is baseless, Lyall!"

"Use her?" Lyall twisted his head with an amusement that crossed into bewilderment.

"Ever since she became a Shinigami, they've had her in the Sixth Division, in the Academy! Training to become a Shinigami." She glared at him. "To use for their own purposes."

"Hardly, sister," Lyall countered, his amusement turning sour, "She's been in the Sixth Division because it's the most secure, with a Noble leading it. No, Leta," Lyall's gaze narrowed, "They're not using her at all; they're just stalling until the opportune moment."

Leta's hands slowly turned to fists, "Lyall Kamaguchi," She gritted her teeth, her eyes blazing, "Enough. You will tell me everything, _now_."

* * *

"I can't believe that," Karin held her head in her hand, looking utterly dumbfounded, "Ichigo and the...well, those Hollows?" She glanced at Yoruichi and Rukia. "Doesn't the council see how absurd that is?"

Rukia frowned knowingly, but it was Yoruichi that spoke, "They don't understand Ichigo like we do, Karin."

"If the Council has bad intentions, we need to be prepared for anything, right?" Karin looked from Rukia to Yoruichi, "I know that using it is a bad idea, but to be prepared, I need to have my zanpakuto. But," Karin frowned, looking at the ground, "I need either Leta or Layla to take me back to their mansion. We can't get it without one of them."

"Actually," Yoruichi smirked in the most feline of manners, "Leta has shown me ways to get into the manor without her assistance," She stretched and raised a leg up to her back from behind, "The attendents, if given a certain signal, can let guests in. I know that signal," She raised the other leg, stretching it behind her.

Karin's eyes widened in hopeful excitement, "So you can get it for me?"

"I am little out of shape...but...The mansion is an hour from here with normal tracking, but I can make it there and back in ten minutes if I flash-step at top speed," She grinned.

The young Shinigami's mouth was wide in disbelief; even Rukia looked stunned. "Really?" Karin could have leapt in the air.

"I'll go and gather your sword and be back here as soon as possible." She turned to leave them.

"Thank you, Yoruichi," Karin smiled. The were-cat merely grinned in return.

* * *

Lyall smiled, despite the terrifying look on his sister's face, his hands still in his suit pockets. "The Gargantas led the Council to order the Kido Corps and Twelfth Division to further research Hueco Mundo. The investigators ran into one of these Vasto Lordes that threatened to take the Garganta used by the Kido Corps and reak havoc on the Soul Society itself."

Leta's eyes widened, "No..."

"Naturally, the Council wants to avoid this at all costs, so they ordered that a negotiation be struck with the hollow to prevent this."

Leta's pulse couldn't race any faster, "And?"

"The Vasto Lordes wanted Ichigo Kurosaki."

Leta's face broke out in an angry growl, "But Ichigo is already there! In Hueco Mundo!"

Lyall's eyes widened slightly, as if surprised, "Oh? That's a development...the Council must just be announcing it to the Nobles if you know."

"Rukia says she saw him before he left. It's true," Leta frowned.

"She did?" Lyall's face broke into a snake-like grin, "So that's why she's with you." He smirked, "Well, so they didn't lie about one thing." His sister's confused face forced him to continue with an agitated sigh, "The council made the entire thing up about Ichigo wanting to invade the Soul Society. They did it just to appease the Nobles and not tell them the Council was secretly negotiating with Vasto Lordes."

Leta stood in front of him speechless.

"In any case, the Vasto Lordes sent an Arrancar to locate Ichigo in Karakura Town, but apparently he'd already left, if what you say is true, and misplaced his spiritual pressure signature with Miss Karin's instead."

Leta pressed a palm to her forehead, "Kenpachi...earlier in the week he said her spiritual pressure was similar to Ichigo's..."

"What a good deduction by Captain Kenpachi Zaraki," Lyall casually continued, "The Arrancar instead went after Karin, but while he escaped, we know what happened to his comrade, and the fate it caused for both Vice-Captain Hinamori and Karin herself." He motioned towards the direction where Leta knew Yoruichi and Rukia were explaining everything to Karin.

"So then...Karin's here...," Leta didn't want to say it, partially because she wasn't sure if that's what Lyall was concluding to.

"She's here to bring Ichigo to the Vasto Lordes," Lyall answered for her. "Tonight, with the Spiritual pressures of everything here neutralized, A Vasto Lordes is going to come into the Soul Society via a Garganta, take Karin Kurosaki to Hueco Mundo, and use her to bring Ichigo, her brother, to them. And that will be the end of our affair."

"Are you _insane_?" Leta screamed, not caring who heard her. "You're bringing a Vasto Lordes _here_? To this Summit Hall, where _all _the Nobles and Council Members are?"

"Myself, the Corps, and the Twelfth Division have placed a Kido spell around this area for tonight," Lyall seemed less than concerned, "It's actually quite impressive; anyone with Hollow-like spiritual pressure will only be able to stay here for approximately three minutes without negating back into the Garganta from which it came. Furthermore, it only allows the pressure of one entity to come into the Soul Society via Garganta." He smiled maniacally, "It's quite an impressive Kido if I do say so myself."

"I don't _care_," Leta was fuming, turning away from him, "You're letting a _Vasto Lordes_...In. This. Hall." She said each word with each step she took back towards Karin and the others, "You think once it's came here, it will leave with her and never return?" She stared at him as if he was a child.

"Vasto Lordes are recluses," Lyall was now imitating her, in a parental fashion, "They're simply finding an end to their own means. Besides, the Council knows they're coming. To be honest, this is the perfect protection for the Nobles; every Captain in the Gotei 13, and many Lieutenants are gathered in this one area. The Vasto Lordes wouldn't dare challenge them all at the same instance. Once they have her they'll leave us in peace."

Leta was already storming down the hall. She only hesitated to whirl her head at him and growl, "You are a _fool_, Lyall."

Karin and Rukia stared as they saw Leta turn the corner. Their eyes narrowed as Lyall turned the corner as well. In an instance, however, Lyall flash-stepped in front of Leta, his eyes inches from hers.

"I'm not a fool, Leta," He objected quietly, "I'm just under the employment of fools."

The youngest Kamaguchi had the yellow material of her dress pulled up to her thigh. Leta's hand was resting on the hilt of her sword, which she'd tucked in a small strap that was across her non-revealed leg. Lyall eyed it with a snicker,

"Are you seriously considering striking your own brother with that sword?"

"I won't lie, It's tempting," Leta said emotionlessly.

"We both know what would happen should you choose kendo combat with me," He smirked, looking down at her, "And this isn't exactly a safe place for your Shikai either-Oh," He stopped mid-sentence to twist his head back.

Rukia's blade was pointed squarely between his shoulders.

"Oho," Lyall gave Rukia a flirtacious smile, "Is everyone feeling jumpy off of the punch tonight?"

"I don't know what you were talking about with Leta," Rukia glared, "But Karin isn't going anywhere."

"And you think that just because you're married into nobility you can strike me, Rukia Kuchiki?" Lyall turned from Leta and looked at Rukia's blade, still pointed at him, only now at his chest. "I'm just following orders," He smirked.

"I'd say a synonym for 'less than true' right about now," Rukia gave him a dark glare, "But it'd be unlady-like of me."

"You can call bullshit on me anytime you like," Lyall smirked, backing away from her blade and moving Leta aside with his hand, "But I must ask you something, Rukia. You take an awful interest in Miss Kurosaki here," He glanced slightly towards Karin, who felt utterly powerless without a sword, "I'm curious; is it because of her relation to the man you turned into a Shinigami?"

"Shut up," Rukia said in a low hiss.

"It just makes me wonder," Lyall flicked a piece of auburn hair behind his ear, "if you were upset you couldn't go with him-"

"_DANCE_! SODE NO SHIRAYUKI!"

Karin felt her arm blasted by a cold, bitter wind, and looked down to see it was covered in frost. She withdrew her arm to her side and backed away, her eyes immediately seeing what had happened with Rukia.

Rukia called out her zanpakuto, which had transformed into a white sword with a long snow-soft ribbon dangling beautifully across her arm. The ivory sword had struck down towards Lyall's chest, but the Kido Captain had blocked it with his own sword, a silver blade with a smooth silver guard and hilt. It looked extremely plain, as if it belonged to a student that hadn't been able to summon their own zanpakuto yet.

_Strange_, Karin thought to herself. _Does he not know his own sword's name? Isn't he a Captain?_

"I had heard rumors," Lyall smiled, "That your zanpakuto was the most beautiful of all the Shikai." He glanced at the white blade, "It's good to see for once rumors can be true."

"Shut your mouth," Rukia's eyes were fire.

"Really though, attacking me on a provocation?" Lyall moved her blade slightly with his own. While Rukia had both hands on the hilt, Lyall had only one on his, the other hand shoved into his suit pocket. "Are you seriously thinking of attacking me?"

"Are you seriously thinking of endangering everyone here?" Rukia snapped back.

"Ah," Lyall sighed, "I guess reasoning won't help will it? Leta," He glanced an eye back to his sister, who had moved out of the way when Rukia had summoned Sode no Shirayuki, "I would suggest you not interfere. If Rukia Kuchiki wants to challenge me, then she will and she will alone!" He moved the blade against hers, driving it and Rukia herself, a step back.

"Get out of the way, Karin," Rukia hissed, "I can take care of Lyall."

"I'm entitled by the Council of 46 to keep Karin Kurosaki here until approximately 11 p.m.," Lyall announced haughtily, "If anyone gets in the way of this order, they are to be contained or incapacitated. You, Rukia," He pointed his blade towards her, "are in the way."

Leta glanced at the gold framed clock above the doors that exited the mansion. It was 10:45 p.m. They had fifteen minutes until the Vasto Lordes arrived. _That's not enough time to evacuate anyone...or do anything for that matter, _She thought anxiously, _Dammit..._

"What happens at 11 p.m.?" Karin suddenly looked at Leta for an answer. She seemed too preoccupied with what Lyall and Rukia were about to do.

"No," Rukia frowned, "_You're_ in the way, Lyall Kamaguchi. We're leaving now." She advanced towards him with her blade, white flakes of snow floating graciously in the chilled air surrounding them.

"Pose," Lyall tilted the blade at a defensive, diagonal stance. His eyes narrowed with a snake-like gleam, "Kamikagami."

_**The Countdown has started! **_

_**I hope you liked this chapter, because it was a BLAST to write! Anyway, I'm going to be out of town until Saturday, so I don't know if I will have a chapter posted by then...probably not. I will be working on it while I'm gone, expect an update by next weekend hopefully!**_

_**Oh, AND Lyall's Mini-Bio is below! Enjoy that, and also, **_

_**Enjoy the week,**_

_**Romania Black**_

Name: Lyall Kamaguchi (Young Wolf, Mouth of God)  
Rank: 30th generation Head of the Kamaguchi Noble Family, Captain of the Kido Corps

Age: 350  
Height: 167 cm (5'6")  
Birthday: June 4th

*Trained under former Kido Corps Vice-Captain Hachigan Ishoda for almost fifty years until his disappearance one hundred years prior to the present.

* Continued training under the current Kido Corps Vice-Captain until he could rise up to become the current Kido Corps leader, starting seventy years ago. The Vice-Captain had denied numerous promotions for Captain, apparently.

*Likes bold tight-fitting outfits and meeting new people. Hates the rain and sweet food.

*Has always wanted to visit the Real World, but cannot because of his duties. Instead, he constantly reads stories brought back from his sister and aquaintances, and loves to interview those from the Real World who have passed on.

*Resembles his late uncle on his mother's side in appearance, and was very devoted and loving of his mother until her untimely death.

*The middle child of the Kamaguchi siblings, he is known for his expertise in Kido, along with his tactical abilities on the battlefield.

*Zanpaktou: Kamikagami (God Mirror)


	39. A Lot Can Happen In Fifteen Minutes

Hello! Wellll, I know I said I'd have a chapter out last Saturday. That didn't happen unfortunately. Long story short, I was gone another week with no internet. It wasn't fun not being able to update, but I did figure out how I wanted the next couple of chapters to go, and was able to finish this one! So please, have mercy.

Secondly, Has anyone been up to date with Bleach lately? It's getting crazy. And I love it. Also, I'm on chapter 38 of 108 with Full Metal Alchemist! I made it my goal to have read the entire series by the end of the summer. It's a great manga if you haven't checked it out.

In other news, The new chapter is here! It seems rushed to me, since it was done sporatically during the week, and not a lot was written in a single sitting. Maybe that's a good thing. Also, at the bottom is Kamaguchi bio #3: Layla! I think after reading the chapter, it'll be a fun bio to see.

Finally, **MANY **thanks to the readers! You all are amazing and so helpful and supportive in my writing process. Special thanks goes to the following Readers: **AoMythology, JadeKurosaki, theloverofanime **(I don't think you had as much fun reading as I did reading your review! haha, Rukia definitely gets to fight Lyall, and Thank you so much! It was my favorite chapter so far as well!), **kiwiVega **(Lyall is acting strange, huh? His motives are a bit hard to pin down...as for if Karin will kick some Arrancar butt, or what happens at 11...we'll have to wait and see.), **bloodyrose1294 **(haha! Bleach is very much about testosterone-y Ichigo, but I love Karin! I agree, she doesn't let her guard down much in the anime/manga, does she? I try to make her more open to emotions since she is at a more delicate coming-of-age stage in her life, but as she grows older, I can only imagine she'll toughen up and be a contender! She's a Kurosaki after all, right? As for Lyall, he IS super creepy at times. And the last chapter was a LOT to take in. I'm glad no one's confused so far. haha), **Turtle-chan in Blue **(haha, Kami as in Lyall's zanpakuto? Also, Vasto Lordes should NOT be in SS or the Real World, so their presense could definitely pose some problems...), **stormcrowley **(Thank you! I'm not wanting to let Byakuya's feelings about the "engagement" be revealed too soon, especially when his own sister doesn't know about it. But, as for Lyall, you're not far off on the zanpakuto...you'll find out this chapter. Kudos to your superb guess though! As for the Vasto Lordes, I don't think Ulquiorra, Halibel, or Starrk would be a possibility since they're dead in the manga, and I'm trying to stay as close to it as possible at the moment...but I don't think you'll be disappointed with what's in store. Or I hope not at least.), **t.h.E.s.r. **(NO worries about late reviews! I'm just thrilled to here your review! Also, well...the Vasto Lordes are "interested" in Ichigo, let's say that for now, and Ichigo is in Hueco Mundo with Nel. As for Renji and Layla being engaged, that would have been crazy! Luckily for Renji, since he likes Rukia you know, Layla is into older men. But Rukia might have different ideas about this engagement, that's for sure!) and **bleach-chan **(Yay! I love it when people don't expect what's coming! Whoo hoo! Thank you!)

**Chapter Thirty-Nine**

**Tok Tik Tik  
Tik Tok Tik  
Tok Tok Tik  
Tok Tik Tok  
Swings the Chaos Clock**

"Pose," Lyall's posture was one of defense, "Kamikagami."

Rukia raised her white blade, Sode no Shirayuki, willingly waiting for the moment his Shikai released. There was a sudden stroke of silence, followed by...nothing. Rukia's eyes widened slightly; Lyall looked as if nothing was wrong, but clearly his sword looked exactly as it had ten seconds prior. _Did his zanpakuto release? It doesn't appear any different than before..._She shook her thoughts away angrily, _There's no time for this! We have to get Karin out of here now! _Rukia swung Sode no Shirayuki,

"Third dance!" Her blade became like ice, ready to strike Lyall's and smash his blade into a million stone cold shards.

Lyall, despite his powerless position, smiled cunningly, "You had multiple attacks, and you chose the worst one."

Rukia couldn't stop her sword's swing, but suddenly thought, _What did he say?_

The blade connected with Lyall's and a loud CLANK occurred as their swords connected. Rukia, now able to control her sword's movements again, retreated a few steps backward in defense. Lyall's smile broadened,

Lyall smirked, "Let's try...First dance."

Rukia glanced down; she was in the middle of a large white circle, one that Rukia knew was the First Dance of her sword. If she didn't move in less than two seconds, she would be encased in an icy glacier. Both her and Lyall jumped away in time for the ice to swell and shoot up towards the roof, shattering through the rafters and into the black, starry night sky.

_Woah, _Karin thought as she ducked her head to avoid a large piece of wood falling from the broken ceiling. Karin could hear screams erupt from the Main Room. "The aristocrats," she muttered absent-mindedly, remembering they'd even been here to begin with.

"Lyall!" Leta shouted, her voice in disbelief, a broken chunk of wood stuck in one of her massive buns of strawberry blonde hair. "You're destroying the Summit Hall, you fool!"

Her brother turned and gave her an innocent, childish pout, "She attacked me first, sister. What was I supposed to do? I didn't know what the First dance would cause."

Leta's eye twitched in annoyance, _How can you make such a childish face to me in the middle of a battle? _

Karin glanced towards Rukia in need of some explanation for all of this, but her friend was staring at Lyall with a horrified expression. Karin glanced at the Kido Captain to see what the cause for alarm was, and that's when she noticed the most peculiar thing.

Lyall was now holding a white blade that looked identical to Sode No Shirayuki. Karin looked back to Rukia in a double-take. But Rukia was still clutching her own Shikai as well.

"How can...there be two of the same sword?" Karin wondered out loud, to which Rukia could only stare in terror, and Lyall replied with a sharp bark of a laugh.

"My Kamikagami," Lyall smirked, "is one of the most unique Kido-Zanpakuto. By itself, it poses no danger to the opponent, because it has no attacks or powers to speak of its own." He ran a hand delicately across the now-white blade, "But if I strike an opponent's sword while released," He gave Rukia a sinister smile, "I can absorb any ability that blade contains as well as its appearance."

Karin blinked, "Oh." _That's insane! What a bizarre zanpakuto, _"But it's not as strong as the original," Karin noted. "It's just a copy cat."

Lyall laughed, "A naive person would think so but...well, truth be told it _is _as strong as the original. Kamikagami is a blank slate that merely makes a complete clone of its opponent. It doesn't add nor take away from the original in this duplication. But enough chit chat. Now then," He placed the blade back at a diagonal angle, "The question is, which of us is more tempered in handling said sword."

Leta objected at once, moving in between Lyall and Rukia, "We don't have time for this! Lyall, as your sister I command that you move aside and let Karin and I exit. The aristocrats will be here any moment after that explosion. They're probably in a panic as it-"

"-sister, you talk too much," Lyall took his free hand and shoved her aside, "as your older brother, I command you to stand aside,observe the battle, and silence yourself. This is our duel."

"Lyall-!" Leta began angrily.

"-Stop it, Leta." Rukia suddenly cut her off, her purple eyes blazing, "Please." The two women glanced at each other, and Leta realized this battle wasn't just to help Karin now. It was for Rukia and her zanpakuto's honor as well. Leta could not have stopped them now if she'd wanted to, unless she preferred Rukia never forgive her.

"You're both insane," Leta only had time to comment exhaustedly, before the two rushed towards each other and slashed their white blades, ivory on ivory. Ice shards flew into the air like pebbles flying on a gravel road. Karin held her arms up defensively, and wondered what was taking Yoruichi so long. She glanced up at the clock by the exit, which was miraculously still attached to the wall.

"It's 10:47," Karin looked at Leta with a worried face, "We don't have a lot of time."

"I know," Leta shook her head, exasperated, "We have to leave, Karin." She would explain the Vasto Lordes situation to her later, after they were safe.

"We can't just ditch Rukia though!" Karin's eyes were crossed with stubborness, "She could get hurt!" _And it would be my fault...again..._

_She could end up a lot worse than hurt, _Leta thought grimly as Lyall sent a wave of ice careening towards Rukia.

Rukia dodged the ice wave, as did everyone else, Karin and Leta now on one end of the hall that led back towards the Main Room. The frozen cascade shattered and thick hunks scattered all along the crowded corridor, along with splinters of wood and metal. The hallway in a few minutes would be non-existent.

"So that's the Second Dance," Lyall chuckled, in midair, "What an interesting zanpakuto you have, Madame Rukia!"

"Don't mock me," Rukia glared with quieted fury, and Lyall noticed he was in the middle of a white circle.

"Not again!" Leta groaned loudly, just as the white ice column rose up into the air, smashing through the roof again, as Lyall dodged it in time, only to meet Rukia's sword crashing down on him. She raised her hands above her head in frustration, an emotion Karin was not used to her instructor exhibiting; it made Leta seem rather childish. "Not only are we running out of time, but now my family's going to owe the Nobles a fortune to repair this place!"

Lyall, while in midair, raised his toothpick of a leg into the air, to kick Rukia from above. The female Shinigami ducked her sword under the leg and twisted her wrist, causing the blade to straighten; when his leg came down she meant to impale it. This didn't occur though, as Lyall threw his leg to the side of him, away from her blade, and instead swung the arm with the sword horizontally to strike right at her wrist, still clutching the katana.

Rukia let out a gasp and fell backwards, dark red oozing from her wrist that was remained gripped on the sword. She used her other hand to grasp the wound, as Lyall landed softly on the now bloodied floor.

"You may be better at weilding your zanpakuto," He noted with a frown, looking down at her wound, "But I'm a better fighter. Combining the two is fatal...for you, that is."

Rukia's eyes were dead in coldness, "Then why don't you kill me, since you've obviously won?"

Lyall actually raised his eyebrows in surprise, then lowered them, becoming stern, "My duty isn't to kill anyone. I'm merely supposed to hold Karin Kurosaki here until 11 p.m.-"

"Why!" Karin burst out, but was held back by Leta, who had a firm grip on her arm, "What happens at 11?"

Lyall didn't answer immediately, after noticing both Rukia and Karin staring at him intently for an answer. Leta didn't waste time, "There's a Vasto Lordes coming here to kidnap you, Karin!" She yelled, causing Lyall's eyes to shut in frustration; his sister was clearly overexceeding her boundaries to give information out willingly. It would only cause more panic.

Karin stared at her mentor in confusion, "Kidnap me? Why? What," She paused, looking quite puzzled, "What is a Vasto Lord-Lord eh? Is that it?"

"Are you out of your mind?" Rukia lunged for Lyall, her uninjured hand now holding her blade, still in Shikai. "Why?"

Lyall parried the blade with his, but made no attempt to attack. He was merely holding her in place, "The Council's orders, Madame Rukia."

Karin blinked at him, _The...Council's ordering this? Wait... _Something suddenly clicked, "Wait, you were going to take me to them just now!" She yelled angrily. _Of all the lousy-_

"How dare you-!" Rukia retracted her blade from his parry and swung it back to strike him again.

Lyall rolled his eyes, "Seriously, blind rage will get you and your wrist nowhere-"

At that moment there was a large crash, and a shadowed figure grabbed Rukia by the back of her dress and threw her backwards, causing her to fly into the arms of another familiar figure. Karin coughed, dusted herself off as she saw who had saved Rukia from the fall.

"Renji!" She called out happily, as the red-haired Shinigami lifted Rukia to her feet. His hands enveloped her wounded wrist carefully,

"We heard an explosion this way...what the hell is going on?" He asked in wonder and irritation, his brown eyes wide looking from Lyall to Rukia.

"You're asking the same question as all of us," Rukia said in a soft groan, but her eyes showed she was thankful he had showed up. Renji returned her gratitude with a silent, knowing smile of his own.

Meanwhile, Lyall had his sword at his side, looking with utmost maniacal eagerness at the man in front of him, who, in opposition, looked beyond pissed off. Captain Byakuya Kuchiki now stood in the middle of Lyall, and the cluster of Renji, Rukia, Leta, and Karin, his sword clutched tightly in hand. It was an epic scene, these two powerhouses facing each other. Lyall shoved his free hand casually into his suit pocket, as if out of habit.

"Well, well, I figured it wouldn't take long for the Captains to make their way back here," His face smirked in a twisted fashion, "But to see you here first, Lord Byakuya, is an honor to be sure." The way Lyall gripped his sword suggested he was more than excited at the prospect of fighting Byakuya.

Karin let out a small gulp; she could picture Jinta in her mind jumping up and down in utter glee at the idea of two Shinigami letting loose against each other, but that was the exact opposite of what she wanted at this moment. Goosebumps formed on her arm, _This is bad..._

"Lyall Kamaguchi," Byakuya slowly uttered, his hand resting firmly on the hilt of his sword, "May I ask you to enlighten my Lieutenant and I on the reasons behind your attack against my sister?" Rukia's head shot up at Byakuya as if someone had thrown a stone at her, her dark eyes wide in shock. Karin didn't understand why she looked so dumbfounded, but saw that Renji shared the same expression as she did.

"Brother!" Rukia cried out, Renji holding her back as he held her wounded wrist, "Don't fight him! He can-"

"I'm fully aware of what his zanpakuto can do," Byakuya glared at her out of the corner of his eye, challenging her to continue talking. Rukia silenced herself immediately, "Of course, my zanpakuto," He turned his eyes back towards Lyall, who was still smirking, "is much more suited for engaging in combat with him."

"Ah, how do you know what mine can do?" Lyall scratched his head with false innocence. "I've actually never seen yours in action."

"A pity you've had to wait so long," Byakuya slowly started to raise his blade, his purple eyes blazing with the same fire Rukia's had contained earlier. "Shall I show it to you now?"

Lyall's smile faded, his narrowing eyes growing sharper, "I've indeed waited a long time, Captain, to face you specifically."

The two drew their blades upward, readying for the first strike. Karin looked at everyone aimlessly. Rukia and Renji were sharing the same mingled expression of fear and anxiety at the oncoming attack, while Leta had a hand on each of her strawberry blonde hair-buns, looking flustered beyond all belief, her eyes alternating between Byakuya and Lyall with a look that screamed_ 'This is ridiculous.' _

"Leta," Karin shook her mentor's shoulder, forcing her attention to the young Shinigami, "We only have eight minutes left, we should leave." She turned to Rukia, "Rukia's safe with Renji. Let's go."

This seemed to suddenly snap Leta out of her focused trance.

"Oh!" She eyed Karin as if understanding her for the first time, "What are we doing? We have to get you out of here," She gazed with a crushed expression at Lyall and Byakuya, "But..."

_Why is she so worried-Oh. _Karin's eyes filled with understanding, "You don't want your brother to get hurt..."

"I'm not worried about him being injured," Leta corrected, after a moment's hesitation, "But if he causes anymore damage tonight, working with the Nobles or not..."She didn't finish, but tore her eyes to Karin, "You're right, we need to go." And the two took off running towards the Main Room.

Rukia watched them leave, her eyes spinning on Lyall and Byakuya, who had yet to make the first strike. Her voice was contemptous, "Why did you let them go just now, Lyall? You wouldn't have let that happen when I was about to face you."

Renji looked down at her, "What? When you were-"

"Aren't you supposed to be keeping her here until Eleven?" Rukia continued, ignoring Renji, "Why did you let her go?" None of this was making sense to her. Not one single thing.

Lyall didn't answer, his tight lips curved slightly. Byakuya didn't offer him a chance to, "If this was all a ruse to provoke me here, you did a pitiful job, even for a Kido Captain."

To this, Lyall glanced at Byakuya with a slightly surprised face, "Go through all this trouble just to bring you to me for battle? No, no, I'm not that simple. This is just a bonus," And with that he went to strike Byakuya's blade, Byakuya raising his sword, his voice grave,

"Scatter-"

Lyall frowned, "Pose-"

"Remove," a silvery voice struck like a pin in a silent room, "Kyanseru."

The two men stopped dead in their tracks. Lyall's blade was now bound in a cream colored cloth, with metal spikes sunk into the material and sword itself, like tiny wedges holding the fabric in place. Lyall appeared unable to move his sword even an inch. The yellowing ribbon was held in one hand by the weilder of a silvery sword, whose guard was a silver "x", the hilt a dark purple and metallic weave. The blade of this katana was held against Byakuya's sword, that was stationary in his shaken arms.

Byakuya's eyes were wide with recognition, but he seemed speechless. Lyall looked down at the figure who was crouched between them, holding the cream cloth and the silver sword, with slight disgust, "Sister...this isn't your fight."

"I'm making it mine." Layla Kamaguchi looked up at her brother with an equally disgusting stare, her gray eyes dark and looming, "Step away, Lyall," She warned, "Your sword is useless now until the wedges and cloth are removed." She slowly rose to her full height, her being at least three inches taller than him.

"You knew if I struck your sword, I could copy its abilities, so you placed this weird Kido on it?" Lyall glanced at his blade with dry amusement and curiosity.

"It's not strange Kido," Layla argued softly and calmly, "Merely the Kido used to bind Large Hollows minimized to sword-use."

Lyall shook his head in shallow amazement, "And without an incantation," He sighed, "Scary, sister."

Layla eyed her brother with a saddened expression, "I came as soon as I heard the first crash," She told Rukia and Renji, "but I did not want to interrupt Rukia Kuchiki's combat with Lyall, so I waited here, guarded by a Kido incantation."

Byakuya eyed her suspiciously. _Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu used a similar type of Kido in Hueco Mundo..._

"I saw my sister Leta and Karin Kurosaki leave," She turned to her brother, "And decided the best course of action was to stay here. It's clear to see that was a good decision; you two," She glanced with quiet anger from Byakuya to Lyall, "would have destroyed this building were you allowed to fight. That is not acceptable."

Renji turned to Layla with a confused look, "Where are the other Captains?"

Layla eyed him wearily, "Captain Komamura, Captain Unohana, and a few other Captains I didn't see, but heard, are assisting the evacuation of the Noble Summit Hall," She explained.

"I'm sure Captain Kira was with them," Rukia looked up at Renji, then cutting herself off so Layla could continue,

"As for Captain Soi Fon, she disappeared some time ago, and no one knows where to," She sighed heavily, "As for Captain Kenpachi and Captain Shunsui-"

"We're here," Kyoraku Shunsui swaggered from the shadows with Nanao alongside him, pushing her glasses further up onto her slim nose. The Captain smiled a crooked grin, his tired but playful eyes lingering on Lyall.

Lyall frowned, "Sobered up, Captain?" He commented in a mildly hateful tone. Layla looked at him with utter contempt, but Shunsui grinned broader,

"Oh yes! I had an sense something might happen later after I talked with you," He smiled, "I'm not usually wrong about my assumptions; I'm a fairly good judge of character," His eyes slowly narrowed ominously. Lyall's face was expressionless.

"You must be rusty then," Lyall said curtly.

"Where the hell is the maggot I'm supposed to fight?" Kenpachi loomed out of the hallway, his eyes blazing. The Captain was dressed in his normal Shinigami robes and Captain's Haori, but Yachiru, who was perched excited on his shoulder wore a ruffly black and yellow dress, with large yellow cat pins adorning the frilly collar. She smiled broadly,

"No boobs and Big Buns told Kenny that there was a fight here!" She chirped.

Layla frowned deeper, "I'm afraid that fight has ended, young one."

"Awww," Yachiru frowned, looking to Kenpachi disappointed. Kenpachi seemed to understand her sentiments and share them,

"Are you kiddin' me, broad?" He piped at Layla angrily.

Byakuya spun his head around, "Address her properly!" His eyes blazing with an intense fury at his insulting remark. Layla closed her eyes in frustration and sighed.

Lyall tilted his head sideways at Kenpachi, "You _must _be Zaraki Kenpachi."

Shunsui crossed his arms at his chest as he looked from Lyall to Kenpachi, "You saw Karin-chan and Leta-chan?"

"They're escaping the building as we speak," Layla answered for Kenpachi, her eyes looking towards Lyall, "For whatever reason the Council wanted her kept here," she narrowed her eyes at him, "It will fail."

* * *

"Leta!" Karin called to her mentor as they were about to enter the Main Room, "How will we dodge all the Nobles?"

"Follow my lead," Leta instructed, her reddish-blonde buns bobbing with their running, "Remind me next time we have a Summit Dance," She glanced over to Karin with a forming smile, "Not to wear such a long dress."

Karin couldn't help but muster a smile to match, despite the direness of their situation, "Same here."

Just as they were turning the corner to the Main Room, they could hear the thunder of heels and shoes click and smack against the marble floor coupled with the yells and high pitched wails of the aristocrats. Hundreds of Nobles were running rampant, being herded by what Karin could tell were Captains of the Gotei 13.

"How many captains are there again?" Karin stammered, looking eyesore.

"Thirteen," A booming voice echoed behind the young Shinigami, and Karin turned to see it was Captain Komamura.

"Captain!" Leta exclaimed with a smile, "Did they put you on evacuation duty?"

The dog-appearing Captain gave her a puzzled expression, "How were you informed?"

"Other than figuring the giant explosion would tip the Captains off," Leta grinned happily, "We met Captain Shunsui and Kenpachi on the way here."

"Interesting they would send Captain Kyoraku," Komamura noted gravely. "I have been looking for you, but I can guess the circumstances to your disappearance after we've moved the Nobles from the primesis. Where, pray tell, has Captain Soi Fon ventured to, do you know?"

"She wouldn't," A high, snarky voice lingered from the side of the wall near Leta. The three turned to see Captain Soi Fon now dressed in her Shinigami Robes and Captain Haori alongside Yoruichi, who was draped in a black skin-tight bodysuit with the sleeves taken off.

"You're back!" Karin beamed at Yoruichi, her face then sliding into irritation, "Where were you? I thought you said 'ten minutes?'"

The cat-woman smiled sheepishly, or as sheepishly as she could be expected to, "Sorry, Karin. I had to change and place Shou in the hands of the Kamaguchi household for safekeeping. Also," She reached behind her, "I had to grab this." She threw a black wad of cloth towards Karin, who snatched it from the air and held it up. Yoruichi continued, "I meant to bring it earlier, but had no room in my dress for it."

Karin held it up; the material was a bodysuit similar to Yoruichi's, only smaller; still sleeveless and the top like a skin-tight turtleneck instead of the 'v' shaped collar Yoruichi's bore.

"What's this for?" Karin turned it over in her hands, looking at it intensely.

"It's to wear under your Shinigami robes," Yoruichi explained. "After your incident at the mansion, I told Urahara about it. He said that your clothes must disintegrate because they're not part of your body's reitsu composition. That's why they burn up, but your flesh and hair do not."

Karin stared up at Yoruichi with big, knowing eyes, "Oh..." _Incredible! He figured that much out by just what she told him?_

Yoruichi laughed, "This, however, is shaped to match your reitsu makeup, so it won't burn away when you release your Shikai."

"How did Urahara know all this? My reitsu composition that is?" Karin asked questioningly.

"He was able to analyze it," Yoruichi replied with an amused look on her face. "After you fainted, it took a second for your zanpakuto to deactivate. I had Leta freeze a portion of your reitsu with Kido for me to take and have Urahara examine, since we noticed your...predicament." She smirked deeper. "After he did, he was able to make this suit for you."

_This...is for me? He made this? How on earth was he..._Karin stared dumbfounded with amazement at Yoruichi, then turned her attention to Leta, pausing a second before yelling out, "And you told me you were bad at Kido!"

Leta giggled, "I said I wasn't as good as my siblings." She smirked to match Yoruichi, "I never said I wasn't decent at it. Anyway, we don't have a lot of time. Bring that with you, Karin," She turned to Komamura, "We're leaving the grounds with her. I don't have time to explain, but we have to get Karin away from here."

"I understand," Komamura rumbled, "I will hold down things here as you leave."

"Thank you, Captain," Leta smiled softly at the large dog-man, and for a second Karin could have sword the skin above his wet nose turned pink. But they were out the door of the mansion before she could double-check for sure.

It was pitch black outside except for the stars above, the electricity outside obviously destroyed from the attack earlier with Lyall and Rukia. Leta turned her head to Karin as they stepped outside. The Nobles were all rushing out ahead as Captain Unohana and Mayuri ushered them forward, standing at the gates. _Mayuri? That's an odd choice..._

"Karin," Leta looked at her, "put that suit on now."

"What?" The young Shinigami looked around herself, embarrassed, "But we're in the middle-"

"It's dark out, no one can see," Leta quickly countered, but reassuringly, "Hurry, just in case! Yoruichi, stay with Karin. I'm going to see if the Captains can help us take Karin somewhere to hide."

"Roger," Yoruichi smiled a feline grin.

Leta flash-stepped to in front of the gates, "I see most of the Nobles are evacuated. Where are the other Captains? Besides Captain Komamura, Soi Fon, Kenpachi, Kuchiki, and Shunsui?"

Captain Unohana, her dark hair braided in front of herm, down her all black flowing gown with slender sleeves to the wrists, gave Leta a subtle frown, "That is most of the Captains other than us, isn't it? A few of the Captains are still patroling the outer rim of the grounds, to find any opening."

"What?" Leta paused, her thoughts suddenly stalled in confusion, "Opening?"

Mayuri snorted as if disgusted, "The Council played their cards right gathering us all here for protection of their precious aristocrats," He was dressed in a ridiculously overdone royal purple and gold kimono with a golden sash and metal pieces like that of a military jacket stretching atop his shoulders, cascading crimson robes forming a cape around his large golden headpiece. His makeup was overdone as usual, his blue hair glossy. "And with a Kido Captain and Vice Captain assisting, it's not wonder the spell is so strong."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Leta demanded, Karin and Yoruichi coming up beside her. Karin's royal blue gown was still on, but you could tell she was wearing something underneath it now; the bodysuit Yoruichi had given her. Leta gave Karin a confused glance.

"Just because," Karin bluntly replied, seeing her questioning face.

"Interesting," Mayuri was now eyeing Karin with a keen scientific interest, gazing intently at her collar bone. Unohana let out a small, subtly irritated sigh that was ever-so-soft. "You tell them, Unohana," Mayuri was lifting Karin's arm, to which she objected instantly, his eyes glowing with amusement and fascination, "This is so _curious_!"

"Hey! Let go!" Karin tried to pry her arm from his grip.

"The Kido Corps has placed a barrier over this entire location," Unohana explained to Leta and Yoruichi, "It allows anyone to leave it, unless," Her eyes grew sadder, "They have a Vice-Captain's Reitsu or higher."

The implication of this did not take long to sink in. "That means," Leta said slowly, looking from Yoruichi to Unohana, "That the Corps are intending for us to handle this Vasto Lordes once it comes through?"

Unohana's eyes widened in surprise, "Vasto Lordes?"

"Here?" Mayuri dropped what was Karin's leg, lifted high into the air as Karin struggled to hold her gown down. "A Vasto Lordes? Ah, no wonder such a barrier was placed! But why bring one here?" He looked with interest to Leta.

"Even I'm confused at this point," She admitted with a heavy breath.

Mayuri went back to poking Karin as if she was a lab rat. "Stop that!" Karin kept protesting. _What is with this guy? Isn't he a Captain? What a craz-_Something suddenly caught her attention. She turned to Leta, her eyes wide, "Look behind you! The Clock!"

Both Leta and Yoruichi turned; above the Summit Hall was a decorative stone tower with a bold white marble clock, shining as bright as the moon above it. The large hand was nearly to the onyx "11." Leta squinted to see the exact time against the glare of the moonlight on its surface. Her eyes widened in horror. It was 10:59.

"No matter," The mad captain shrugged as he gripped Karin by the chin to examine her face, her jaw shut against her will, "Such a powerful Hollow will be an interesting subject to dissect, that's for certain."

_**Sorry for the long wait! The next chapter should come soon!  
Also, here's the last of the Kamaguchi bios! **_

_**Many thanks to all of the readers!  
Romania Black**_

Name: Layla Kamaguchi (Dark Beauty, Mouth of God)  
Rank: 30th generation Kamaguchi family Noble

Age: 500  
Height: 175 cm (5'9")  
Birthday: September 21st

*Takes after her father's side of the family with their trademark dark green hair and soft personality; most of her demeanor has come because of age though.

*Was in the Kido Corps, but removed her association from both the Kido Corps and Gotei 13 about 200 years ago, keeping only the title of Kamaguchi family Noble.

*Likes curry, pale colors and flower arranging, loves classical music and reading Shakespheare since she "met him" in the Real World some years ago.

*Has been set to be engaged on multiple occasions, but constantly backs down due to her disdain for those chosen to marry her. This has earned her the title "Maid Kamaguchi" amongst some Nobles.

*The oldest of the Kamaguchi silbings, she is known for her Kido abilities.

*Zanpaktou: Kyanseru (Cancel)


	40. Pandora's Box

Hoo Boy. So. This chapter...wow...SO MUCH is happening, I don't know where to begin! By far, this chapter has more going on in it than any chapter I've written so far for this story, and it has more characters in it to keep track of than anything I've ever written. Blah...I can't imagine Kubo's struggle with the Manga! haha, Anyway, first with reviews!

Once again, I'm thrilled with how everyone's digging the story. I love all the feedback, suggestions, and comments on the characters and the plot. You all are wonderful! Lots of Author's notes this week, but as always, a special "**Thank You**!" to the following:

**crwong, bloodyrose1294 **(haha, you may have to wait one more chapter for Toshiro to ride up on his icy horse, haha, but he does make an appearance this chapter! And yes, she has flame resistant clothing! Woo hoo!), **bleach-chan **(Thank you! I hope you love this one too!), **stormcrowley **(Ah, a great review! I have my own pairings made up in my head, but all I can say is that you'll discover one reaaaal soon take place. Hopefully everyone'll be cool with it. But that's chapters to come. Also, yeah Lyall isn't nearly as suave as Aizen, but I'm glad you think he's a decent antagonist. There's a lot going on with that poor guy. Uh, the Vasto Lordes situation...bwaha, wait til you see this chapter. As for Mayuri, I totally agree. In my opinion, he's a villain, just in a good guy world...playing goody to keep his toys supplied to him. After all, he spent time in the maggot's nest...the guy's insane. Thanks for the review!), **Garnet-Asian Angel **(Thanks, it WOULD have been really awkward with Karin losing her clothes in the next couple of chapters...you'll see!), **theloverofanime **(I laughed out loud at your review! haha, Don't feel bad, Toshiro is making it back in...it's just taking the poor kid some time! Byakuya's definitely snippy, with all that's happened to his personal life as of late, I'm glad everyone's digging Karin's suit! yay! The Vasto Lordes...oh it's coming. bwahaha, as for killing...hmmm, we'll see this chapter and the next. And of course, creepy Lyall's running around. haha), **T.h.E.s.r. **(Layla used to be in the Kido Corps, which is why she had a zanpakuto. She doesn't use it much now though. I'm glad I got Mayuri down (apparently according to everyone). He's actually a LOT of fun to do dialogue with...makes me almost want to do a fanfic starring him..*cough cough* almost. *cough*), and **Turtle-chan in blue **(Sigh, Silly Mayuri! You're right, he'd have to have some potent stuff to stop that VL from dissolving! And the Council is really corrupt...unfortunately the Gotei 13 are just soldiers basically; the Nobles and aristocrat families are in charge of firing and replacing them, and they like them, so...it sucks, basically, for our heroine.)

I'm moving back to start school in the fall at the end of this week. Blugh. Moving is always hectic, so I'm going to try and get one more chapter in this week before I go. I wanted keep it all one chapter, but this was getting too ridiculously long, so I had to separate it. Oh well.

Finally, I hope you enjoyed the Kamaguchi bios, and that you enjoy this chapter! It's a doozy.

Sincerely,

Romania Black

**Chapter Forty**

**Block the Beast in Blood  
Flash the Fire with Flood**

"How's your wrist?" Renji gave Rukia a parental look as he glanced down her arm at the gash that was starting to clot in dark blood.

Rukia huffed with irritation, "It's fine." She didn't like people hovering over her wounds as if she was some sick weakling. She glanced to her left and saw that Captain Kyoraku was staring at her fondly, as if holding in a secret. She turned her head, embarrassed for a reason she herself couldn't pinpoint. She let her eyes wander towards the trio that were in front of her, now standing.

Lyall was in the process of slowly taking the metal wedges out of the cloth that was binding his sword. He eyed his sister Layla with an agitated glance, his narrowed eyes scanning her and Byakuya standing side by side. "You know, this is quite the burden to take off by hand, sister." He gave her an obviously fake smile.

Layla casually glanced down at him, "I could remove by reversing the Kido, true," She frowned deeper, her silvery voice ice, "But I prefer to watch you struggle. You have shamed our house, Lyall Kamaguchi, by the destruction caused here."

Lyall gave out an quick breath of a laugh, "Heh, the Council's going to shame you, not me, sister," He smirked despite his irritation, "after tonight."

Layla let her eyes linger on her brother for a second longer, before turning to Byakuya, choosing not to follow up on his last remark. "The other Captains have secured the Summit Hall by now, but our job should be to remain here and see what occurs after the clock strikes Eleven."

"True," Nanao said quietly, looking down the hall, listening. "I can't hear any aristocrats screaming any longer."

Shunsui nodded, a relaxed smile building on his chiseled face, "Good thing too. The Nobles leaving means less injuries to possibly deal with alongside whatever joins us through those doors."

"Probably something not worth my time," Kenpachi muttered in a low voice, sitting on a broken piece of wood jutting out from the floor, his legs spread and Yachiru sitting under his knees, looking up at Kenpachi.

"We already know what's going to happen!" Rukia jumped in, being held back, though gently, by Renji. "That Vasto Lordes is going to arrive here!"

Byakuya eyed his sister gravely, before turning to Lyall, his purple-grey eyes slits, "I'm assuming the same one the Gotei has been monitoring for the past few months?"

"Ah," Lyall looked pleased as he removed another metal shard, "Glad to see some of the Court Guard stays up to date on these things. After I get this sword back in shape to fight, and you defeat me, I'll tell you all about it," his smirk deepened into an evil grin, his brown eyes wild with eagerness.

Layla scoffed at him, "You're unbelievable in your rudeness, brother. There shall be no such ruse. This behavior is quite unlike yourself," She frowned, turning back to Byakuya, who was looking down onto her with something other than irritation or confusion. She stared at him, "May I ask as to what this look is for, Byakuya Kuchiki?"

Byakuya stiffened, his shoulders broad. He was taller than Layla, but just barely enough to look down into her grey, skeptical stare, "Your zanpakuto cancels out any opponent's Shikai," He looked away from her for an instant, "But how will it hold up against a Vasto Lordes?"

Layla stared at him, her eyes blank and her face slackening, as if she wasn't prepared to answer him. Lyall gave Byakuya an incredulous stare, "I would appreciate it if you let me look after my sister, Captain Kuchiki." He eyed Byakuya suspiciously now, "What interest do you have in her anyway? You turned her away once-"

"Brother! Madame Kamaguchi!" Rukia's voice pierced through the hallway, "It's Eleven!"

There was a click and the door to the Council Lounge Area, behind Lyall, Byakuya, and Layla, seemed to shudder. The tension in the air thickened drastically in seconds as the group stared with stifled anxiety.

"What now?" Renji whispered, to where only Rukia could hear. She had no answer to give him.

Layla straightened, her sword gripped in her pale hand, "Caution, everyone. Whatever it is will most likely-"

Two razor sharp blades were crisscrossed at Layla's neck, prepared to decapitate her.

In less than a second, three things happened. Layla raised her sword to block the blades from slicing, Byakuya swung his sword at one blade, and Lyall moved to go under Byakuya's swing and strike the other sword while simultaneously grabbing his sister from the fray.

With a loud CLANK, the result of their three movements was Byakuya's sword crossing the blade of the enemy and keeping it stationary as Lyall gripped Layla's shoulder, both now sitting in the floor, having moved her steps away. Blood dripped slowly onto the floor in tiny dots. Layla grasped the side of her neck, where a small line of blood ran through her fingers.

Layla gasped in short, shallow breaths to her brother, her grey eyes wide, "It meant to take my head..." She almost reeled, but Lyall kept her straightened, kneeling on one leg to keep her propped up. She stared in front of her, "That's-"

She couldn't finish the sentence, but everyone in the room knew what it was. Renji was in front of Rukia, his sword Zabimaru drawn and in Shikai. Shunsui did not have his swords released, but they were drawn, his body in a similar fashion of guarding Nanao, who looked petrified. Yachiru still sitting in the floor next to Kenpachi, who was licking his lips and rubbing his blade on the back of his neck, scratching it. His face bore the broadest shark-smile a monster could muster,

"Finally," Zaraki sneered with glee, "It's here."

The Vasto Lordes seemed to take no interest in any of them.

It was a male, barely taller than Lyall, with milky skin that seemed to have a blue hue. He was muscular, as could be told by his bare chest, his lower half shrouded in the white bottoms of a kimono, his feet bound in black boots. The Hollow hole was at where his stomach should be, and at his elbows jutted out a thin blade-like piece of bone. Byakuya saw now that he had tried to cross his elbows and decapitate Layla.

The Vasto Lordes tilted his head to gaze at the remnants of the room; his eyes blackened by the large enveloping mask that took up all of his face, but had a faint blue glow to them. The mask was smooth and had rounded edges, so it appeared not so much like a snake's, but more a manta ray's skull. A black swirl came up from the back base of the mask at its neck and curled around the left eye of the mask. There was no mouth, but rectangular slits for eyes and a triangular hole of a nose.

"She's not here," Lyall still gripped his sister's shoulder as he stared up to the hollow. The Vasto Lordes slowly turned its gaze to Lyall, the blank eyes offering no hint of emotion. "We couldn't contain her in this room for you. But she's on the grounds."

There was silence, until a low, grating voice slowly uttered, "Is she traceable?" His voice was like gravel being scraped in rain.

Nanao shuddered, causing Shunsui to give her a quick glance. Lyall nodded, "She will certainly be if she leaves the grounds," Layla noticed he was sweating at the temple of his head, "But here she can't be traced with reitsu."

"Lyall!" Layla gasped, then cringed, the effort causing more blood to rush to her neck. Byakuya was now standing beside her, obviously ready to block any further attack from the hollow.

The Vasto Lordes nodded, "I see."

"Sorry, Mr. Vasto Lordes," Shunsui held his swords in front of him, advancing towards the Vasto Lordes a step, "But we can't be letting you out of this room." Kyoraku's brown eyes glinted, as a smile formed on his face. "You don't seem the type to say much, do you? Have a name?"

The Vasto Lordes stared at Shunsui with utmost silence, his arms hanging limp at his side.

Shunsui shrugged, "I suppose sometimes talking is overrated."

"HAHAHA!" Kenpachi roared with maniacal glee as he leapt in between Shunsui and the hollow, the nameless sword swinging down hard onto the Vasto Lordes. The mysterious newcomer countered his zanpakuto with his elbow, the bone-formed blade blocking Kenpachi's blow and ricocheting it away from the Vasto Lordes. Kenpachi grinned fiercely, "All action and no talk? My kinda guy," He swung the sword again, to which the Hollow parried with his other elbow. "I think I'm going to like ripping you apart!"

Nanao breathed deeply, her hand clutching her chest in exasperation, looking at Kenpachi with utter disgust, "I know the strategy is to stall the Vasto Lordes, but is this seriously his idea of distraction?"

"Now, now, Nanao," Shunsui mused, his smile looking serene, "Every little bit helps."

* * *

"What do we do then?" Karin looked from Leta to Unohana, trying her best to pry herself away from Mayuri's grip on her face.

"I'm going to the Council Lounge Area," Yoruichi looked frantically to Leta, her cat eyes glowing in the moonlight, "Whatever's there now, we'll hold it off as long as possible." With those words, she flash-stepped from sight.

"I had no idea we were dealing with a Vasto Lordes," Unohana said, seemingly out loud, "What should our next advancement be?" Her eyes scanned from Leta to Mayuri and back again. Karin, being subdued by Mayuri, felt completely out of the loop.

"Hmm, Logically," Leta tapped her finger on her bottom lip, her eyes almost crossed in concentration, "If we can't escape the Kido spell because of our high reitsu, than neither should the Vasto Lordes, right?" Leta looked up to Unohana, who seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"True," The Fourth Division Captain nodded, her head cocked slightly in amusement, "Are you suggesting we send young Kurosaki outside the barrier then?"

"What?" Karin angrily struggled against Mayuri, who was now eyeing a strand of her hair with a magnifying glass, one arm strangling her in a headlock, "But I want to stay and fight!"

"How irrational," Mayuri noted distantly,as if bored, "You're the target. To keep you here would be suicide. For you that is."

"Shut up!" Karin was trying to push his lanky arm away, "Who the Hell carries a magnifying glass on them, anyway? Let-me-GO!" She tugged and fought to escape his grasp, as Mayuri began to lecture her on how futile her attempts were.

Leta sighed, her and Unohana turning away from the bantering duo. "He does have a point," Unohana pointed out, "To keep Karin within this barrier would render our chance of protecting her to nearly zero."

"I refuse to send her alone," Leta countered, her arms crossed at her chest.

"Understandable," Unohana gave Leta a soft smile, "She's your pupil. Luckily," She looked out toward the green ahead of them, her face a warm smile, "I have your solution."

Returning to the gates was a Shinigami that Karin didn't know. He was short, the same height as her, with lanky dark hair and a forlorn, confused look on his face. His eyes seemed to be permanently saddened, but his smile was soft. If they'd been in the same recess together, Karin was sure her friends would have beaten him up on sight.

Leta eyed him in surprise, "You took your seventh seat as your escort?"

"Hanatarou Yamada," The Captain gave him a stern nod of her head.

"Yes, Captain!" Hanatarou answered eagerly, despite his weak voice, "The aristocrats are all heading towards their homes now. It wasn't easy, Captain. They seemed grateful, even though they nearly stampeded over me as I was explaining evacuation procedure-"

"That is good, Hanatarou," Unohana interrupted him, seeming pleasantly unaffected by his plight.

Karin tilted her head as she stared at him. _Poor guy, he's seems super weak. _He was possibly the most pathetic-appearing person she'd ever seen. Yet, he seemed stronger to her than he looked. _And he has a zanpakuto, _She noticed with a frown.

Karin gave Leta a skeptical look, "_He's _going to protect _me _outside the barrier?"

"Oh!" Hanatarou's gloomy eyes focused on Karin, "Who's this?"

"Hanatarou Yamada," Unohana announced his name in a harsher, low voice, as if giving a command. The young Shinigami and the newly arrived one both straightened at the shocking difference in her voice. Hanatarou looked at his Captain with conerned eyes. "Your duty," The female captain continued, "Is to escort Miss Karin Kurosaki outside the barrier. You are to protect her under any means necessary. Understood?"

"Uh," Hanatarou was now staring at Karin as if seeing her for the first time, "Y-y-yes, Captain!" He came forward and gripped Karin's hand. It was shaking.

_The poor guy's terrified, _Karin thought unhappily. She felt much more comfortable staying in a barrier with several captains and a Vasto Lordes than she did walking around outside with a lone weak Shinigami holding her hand. "Leta-," She started, but her instructor didn't let her finish,

"You have to go, Karin. We don't have time for arguing." Leta placed a hand on her shoulder, "Go to my Mansion and call for the assistants. We'll take care of this here."

"I want to fight with you," Karin said, her voice strained with frustration.

"You can't today," Leta frowned, uncharacteristically, and with such grimness, Karin let Hanatarou lead her away and outside the barrier without another word. The two disappeared silently into the woods, away from the Summit Hall.

Once the two were out of their sight, Leta turned to Unohana, who was being eyed curiously by Mayuri.

"We could have sent Nemu with her you know," He was tapping his fingers together mischieviously, "I modified her long ago to have lower reitsu than that of a Lieutenant."

"Yes," Unohana smiled calmly, gracefully striding back towards the Summit Hall mansion, "We could have," She eyed Mayuri from the side of her face with a subtle sliver of chill, "But then would she have safely arrived at the Kamaguchi mansion? Or," Her lips thinned smoothly, "to your laboratory?"

Mayuri visibly flinched. "What are you suggesting?" He cried out, clearly outraged by her accusation.

The Fourth Division's Captain turned her back to him, "We return to the matter at hand."

* * *

"The last time I checked, Miss Yoruichi," his voice rumbled deeply, "Soi Fon had not gone back there with the others to the Council's lounge."

Sajin Komamura, Captain of the Seventh Division stood in the Main Room of the Noble Summit Hall, his large figure looking even more so in the presence of the feline woman Yoruichi Shihouin, who had her arms crossed at her chest, looking up at him.

"She's probably outside with the other Captains, scouting the Perimeter." Yoruichi murmured, running a hand through her plum hair.

"Captain Komamura!"

"Hmmm?" The tall, dog-like captain twitched his canine ears and turned to face the hallway that had once led to the Council Lounge Area. Running towards him was Lieutenant Nanao Ise, Lieutenant Rukia Kuchiki, Madame Layla Kamaguchi, as well as, but seemingly displeased, Yachiru. The one who had yelled, Nanao, stopped short of the large captain and Yoruichi, her hands on her knees. Layla approached, seeming not as out of breath as her comrades.

"Madame Kamaguchi," Komamura dipped his head in reverence. Yoruichi nodded, her voice grave,

"It's here, huh?"

"Yes," Layla sighed with displeasure, and Yoruichi noticed there was a nick on her neck, the blood already drying.

"Are you-" But Layla didn't allow her to finish the question,

"Captain Kuchiki, Captain Kenpachi, Vice-Captain Abarai, and Captain Kyoraku are advancing the Vasto Lordes," She frowned, "We came here to warn the others, but I'm about to return to the fray."

Yoruichi didn't have to wonder why; there was only one name Layla left out of the list, "Lyall?"

"He disappeared through the doorway into the Council Lounge Area shortly after the battle began," Layla explained, "Once the men bring the Vasto Lordes out here into the open Main Room, I will return to the lounge and confront my brother." She eyed Yoruichi and Komamura, "Would either of you wish to join?"

"I would," Yoruichi grinned, her face lit up with a fiercer form of excitement, "You, Sajin?" She turned to Komamura, who glanced at her with slight surprise, his golden eyes wide.

"No, I will remain and assist in the assault on the hollow, Madame Shihouin," He addressed her firmly, "Also, I would not prove stealthy enough to assist you."

"I wouldn't doubt yourself so much," Yoruichi retorted with a shrug.

"Renji's insane going up against that..._thing_," Rukia huffed, one hand gripping the other wrist and rubbing it, check to see if it was sturdy enough to swing a sword again. "It's unreal how strong it is...and fast."

"Kenny's so happy!" Yachiru chirped, her pink hair bobbing up and down with her frilly yellow and black dress.

Nanao gripped her arms with a shake, "I'm glad the spiritual pressures are nullified here; I don't think I could stand up with him here otherwise."

There was a short rumbling coming from the hallway that the women had just entered the Main Room from. The walls around the doorway suddenly blew open and rubble scattered across the marble ballroom floor. Dust enveloped the air, causing the group to cough as they waved hands to clear the air around them.

"We might as well give the Nobles our mansion," Layla sighed, her eyes narrowed in agitation, "considering the rate they're destroying the Summit Hall."

"YAY!" Yachiru had her fists in the air, "Go Kenny!"

From the dust cloud, the Vasto Lordes floated above the ballroom, his elbow deflecting the barrage of attacks from the Court Guard members. One elbow sliced through the air to connect with Renji's Zabimaru, the jagged blade whipping like a snake. Kenpachi was leaping into the air and trying to strike at the hollow's head, but its legs kept kicking upward and deflecting the blade, as Shunsui twirled his twin swords, still unreleased, at its other arm. Byakuya was circling the hollow, trying to strike it with a Kido attack, but the hollow kept dodging.

"If I hadn't struck his blade, Captain Kuchiki would have had an easier time battling the hollow." Layla observed from below with a frown.

"How long does your Shikai last?" Rukia asked, her purple eyes focused on her brother-in-law.

"An hour at the minimum," Layla sighed, "How inconvenient."

"And Captain Kyoraku's swords appear to not be wanting to cooperate," Nanao observed, her eyes frantic, "This is extremely inconvenient."

"Hey," Yoruichi's voice brought their attention towards her as she waved her arms in the air, "They're only stalling to buy Karin time to escape. The chances of us beating it can't be taken into consideration right now. Layla," She turned to the older Shinigami, "Are you ready to return to the lounge?"

Madame Kamaguchi nodded her head, "Yes," She smiled, determined, "Let us go."

"This is ridiculous," Rukia turned her head from the two that had flash-stepped away to Komamura, "We can't just stand here and do nothing while they fight that thing!"

"I was thinking the exact same thing," From behind Rukia approached Captain Soi Fon, alongside her Captain Kira Izuru and Captain Hitsugaya. "The others are patrolling the Perimeter outside, but we came to help subdue the Vasto Lordes."

"That's it?" Toshiro glanced up, his teal eyes wide, "It's not as large as I thought it'd be."

"Now if you'll excuse me," Soi Fon lept into the air and raised her foot high above her head. "Ladies first!" With one swift movement, her foot came crashing down onto the Vasto Lordes' head with a smash. Byakuya had stopped mid-incantation, Renji had swung Zabimaru away from the hollow, Shunsui had his back turned in mid-twist with his swords, and Kenpachi merely cursed that she'd got in the middle of their fight.

"Tramp," he muttered, "I was aiming there next!"

Soi Fon lifted her foot, but much more tenderly than before. _Damn, _she gritted her teeth_, Its hierro is thick, even its mask...I felt a few of the bones in my foot break with that kick._

The Vasto Lordes suddenly reached and wrapped its large hand around the ankle of the broken foot, drawing Soi Fon towards her at lightening speed. The Captain raised her arm angrily,

"Sting all enemies to death-"

"No." The Vasto Lordes took its hand in the form of a fist and punched Soi Fon square on the nose. The fist connected and blood poured from her nostrils as he put both hands together to form a large fist and crash down on her own head, sending her flying to the ballroom floor.

Shunsui twirled the swords towards him, but the hollow grabbed one sword and lept atop Shunsui's head, using it to propel him towards Byakuya. Shunsui seemed more surprised than in any way injured; Renji swung Zabimaru at the hollow again, only to have it block the blade with its elbow and in turn, twist and grab the hilt of Renji's zanpakuto in a flash. Renji, too stunned to react, was headbutted by the Vasto Lordes and sent flying below to join Soi Fon. Byakuya raised his hand to perform an incantation, only to be knocked aside by Kenpachi, who had his sword raised with both hands now.

"Get outta my way, pretty boy," Kenpachi sneered, as he drove the blade downwards on top of the hollow. "Here, Have some!" The blade connected with the Vasto Lordes' shoulder, only to be grabbed with its own bare hands. "Eh?" Zaraki looked dumbstruck as the Vasto Lordes gripped the blade of his sword and ran his elbow horizontally to the captain's face, slicing Zaraki's cheek as he flew past. Blood trickled down Kenpachi's face, as he licked the corners of his mouth. "Damn him," Kenpachi spat.

_Damn him, sword swinging buffoon, _Byakuya cursed Zaraki as the Vasto Lordes flew past him towards the doorway leading outside. _He's headed to the outer grounds-_

"Reign over the Frosted Heavens," The Vasto Lordes looked to see Captain Hitsugaya with his blade raised above his head, his teal eyes flashing down upon the hollow, "Hyorinmaru!"

* * *

"Lyall!"

Layla and Yoruichi were standing in the doorway to the Council Lounge Area. The room was completely deserted, save for a large computer-like surveillance monitor against one wall, and several upturned mahogany bookshelves that had crumbled to the floor, papers scattered across the ground. A crimson outtamon was turned over in the corner. Lyall clicked off the monitor screen and turned to face his sister and Yoruichi. His face wasn't as smug anymore, but rather looked guarded.

"Ah, you showed up just as I was finished convening with my Lieutenant." He forced a smile and kicked a book in his path across the floor. It skidded along with pieces of glass from a fractured window.

"Your Lieutenant?" Yoruichi's golden eyes flashed, "Madadharma's a part in this too?"

"Lyall Kamaguchi," Layla's voice was exasperated, "Why? Why are you doing this?" Her voice became pleading, "This isn't becoming of you, to go out on a limb this far; to endanger so many people!"

"The only ones endangered are the Captains here, who are well capable of protecting themselves," Lyall stepped across, to now be diagonal to where Yoruichi and Layla stood, "And Karin Kurosaki, the Vasto Lordes' desired object."

"Lyall, I know Ichigo's in Hueco Mundo," Yoruichi glared, her face looking none too happy she was divulging this information, "I'm taking it the Council knows as well."

"Of course they do," Lyall seemed bored.

"Then why is the Council so intent on letting the Vasto Lordes take Karin? Shouldn't they be doing the opposite? Don't you think placing his sister in danger is going to upset Ichigo? Does the Council realize the consequences of these actions?" She yelled her questions at Lyall, her face enraged. She didn't understand why the Council was making such bold moves. It didn't make sense.

Lyall's face was washed of emotion, his eyes staring dead into Yoruichi's. The cat-woman glared at him, her voice mocking, "Nothing to say for your ignorance?"

"Lyall," Layla said in almost a whisper, "You don't really want to do any of this...do you?"

The Kido Captain didn't answer immediately, but stood stagnant, before finally sighing heavily, "It doesn't matter; I'm just doing what the Council-"

"Lyall, there's more to it than this," Layla's voice was more saddened than anything now, "Tell us what we're not getting-"

"-There's nothing more to get. Once they have Karin, they'll leave us alone." Lyall frowned, looking back at the monitor, "I saw on surveillance...I did what I had to do."

Yoruichi paused, her eyes confused, "What? What did you do?" Layla perked up at this question, to stare at her brother, who looked more void of emotion than ever.

"Sister figured it out," He said in a slightly harsh voice, pride drained from his words, "We placed a shield around the grounds to keep anyone with a Lieutenant level reitsu or higher from leaving."

"Wha-," Yoruichi's eyes widened, "So then, Karin could-"

"Leta figured that Karin could make it through the barrier, so her and another lower level Shinigami left," Lyall's voice was slightly strained, "I didn't want remove it, but-"

"Shit," Yoruichi turned frantically towards the door.

"Lyall," Layla said slowly, her mouth opened in astonishment.

Yoruichi was rushing back into the Main Room with lightening speed, her flash-steps mere puffs of dust on the floor. She cleared the destroyed doorway to find herself in a ballroom full of ice. _Rukia? No, Hitsugaya, _She thought to herself, dodging a small chunk of ice that slammed past her face. She saw the Vasto Lordes, and then she saw Toshiro advancing towards him with his zanpakuto. The problem was, as he swung, if Toshiro missed the hollow, he took out part of the Summit Hall roof, making it very easy for the hollow to retreat outside, where-

"DON'T LET HIM OUT!" Yoruichi screamed, suddenly seeing Renji beside her, his head bleeding from the eyebrow. Soi Fon was knocked unconscious in a heap at his feet. _Dammit! _

"Yoruichi," Rukia said, eyeing the cat-woman with curiosity.

"Stop him!" Yoruichi yelled, rushing towards Komamura, who had his sword drawn. "He can't go outside!"

"It's alright," Leta was beside the dog captain, her strawberry blonde buns now a frizzy tangle on her head, "There's a barrier surrounding the-"

"It's gone!" Yoruichi gripped Leta's shoulders, her captain looking at Yoruichi in horror. Leta's hazel eyes matched his terror,

"_What?"_

"The barrier," Yoruichi groaned impatiently, "Lyall removed the barrier."

Komamura and Leta stared at Yoruichi, before the words sank in completely.

"Son of a-" Leta turned to the Captains above her, "Contain him! We can't let him leave the grounds!" She flew into the air to assist them, her head tilted downward, "Yoruichi! Track down Karin! She's with Hanatarou!"

Yoruichi tilted her head in confusion, "Hanatarou Yamada? Why on earth would you send-"

"BANKAI! Kokujo Tengen Myoo!"

What was left of the room of the Noble Summit Hall was destroyed the moment the wolf captain released his bankai. A large suit of armor, similar to a samurai, ascended far beyond the ceiling into the open sky, the moonlight basking on its metal surface. The Vasto Lordes stopped momentarily, as if stunned by its appearance.

"Captain," Leta groaned in mid-air, looking at the shattered glass and fractured fragments of wood accumulating on the ballroom floor.

Komamura swung his arm forward, and the giant suit of armor followed the same gesture, reaching its humongous hand to grip the Vasto Lordes. In one swift reach, the hand enclosed on the hollow, clutching him like a child gripping a doll by the waist.

"Excellent work, Captain Komamura!" Kira noted from beside Rukia, his blonde hair shrouding most of his face. He was wearing a navy three-piece suit with his captain's haori over it. "We caught him!"

Toshiro looked around the grounds, suddenly realizing, _I can read spiritual pressures again! Karin, _he suddenly caught a trace in the air, _I sense her...and...Yoruichi's headed towards them...I can still catch up though. _Without a moment's hesitation, he took off towards the forest.

"Captain Hitsugaya!" Leta called out, but he was already gone.

"Let him be," Captain Komamura stood beside Leta, his golden eyes looking down on her, "We have the Vasto Lordes to attend to."

"What should we do with him?" Byakuya inquired, his sword pointed towards its neck.

Kenpachi ran a hand across his blade hungrily, "Let's start with his head," He leered.

"Oh my," Mayuri raised his hand towards his mouth as he walked through the rubble, biting on his middle fingernail, which stuck out several inches from his hand, "This is an interesting development."

"Enlighten us, Captain Kurotsuchi," Captain Unohana mused from behind him.

Mayuri eyed her with contempt, "Haven't you noticed? We can detect spiritual pressures once more." He allowed the words to sink in, and her eyes to widen slightly, "The barrier's no longer activated." Mayuri's eyes glanced around, "The nullifier seems to have been connected to the barrier as well."

"So what if some stupid ass shield is gone?" Kenpachi griped, looking down with an irritated stare, "Let's chop 'im to bits and then we won't have to worry about it!"

"You truly are barbaric," Byakuya said with a disgusted glare.

"Wait," Leta suddenly looked from Komamura to Mayuri, "The barrier's gone...then the nullifier...Captain!" Leta spun around to look at Sajin, "No!"

The Vasto Lordes released a wave of spiritual pressure, causing the hand of Komamura's bankai to open. The hollow took this moment to raise an elbow over his head and a ball of electric blue light formed at the top of the bone jutting from his elbow's point. The voice like gravel muttered in a low rumble,

"Cero."

A flash of blue ripped through the sky, slashing through the giant armor's shoulder. Leta looked in horror as a gash cut immediately into the same place on her captain, crimson liquid spurting from the wound and pooling in the floor. The large wolf-man dropped to his knees like a stone with a howl, the armor falling in the same manner. Leta rushed towards him and gripped Sajin's arm, looking quite ridiculous as she tried to prop him up, the obvious difference in their size not mattering to her in that moment. "Captain!" She yelled; Komamura smirked, a trickle of red on his lips.

"Catch him, Leta," He gruffly told her, his large hands holding him up from the ground as Unohana hurried towards them, the smell of blood nauseating. His golden eyes were full of fury as he looked to his Third Seat, "Go."

* * *

"You do look like him, you know," Hanatarou was running alongside Karin, who couldn't make up her mind whether she was more pissed off that they'd made her leave, or that they'd left her with Hanatarou Yamada. "In the face, anyway." He added gently, noticing she didn't seem too happy about the comparison. "I take it you don't like being compared to Ichigo?"

"No," Karin bluntly answered as they ran, "I don't mind it, but people constantly do it. It gets," She eyed him for a second, "annoying."

"Oh!" Hanatarou looked relieved, "I understand! Back when I first went to the Academy, I was always being compared to my-"

"Karin! Hanatarou!" The two young Shinigami skid to a stop, as Yoruichi lept in front of them. Hanatarou let out a tiny yelp of surprise.

"Ah! Miss Yourichi!" He hid behind Karin, who gave him a moment's agitated stare, before turning to the cat woman.

"Yoruichi...how? I thought-"

"No time," The purple-haired woman grabbed Karin's hand, "We have to move. It's coming this way!"

"What?" Hanatarou's face was stark white, "B-b-but the barrier!"

"It's gone," Yoruichi frowned, turning with Karin in hand. Karin in turn, grabbed Hanatarou, who was starting to shake again, much to Karin's utmost dismay. "But we're almost to the mansion, so just a little further and-"

Yoruichi stopped in mid-step. Hanatarou let out another wail of panic, as Karin stared at the figure in front of her. Had she been alive, her human self would have died on the spot.

"Oooooooh," The Arrancar ran his index finger over his lips, his voice cooing, "Holding hands and running to grandma's house; just like the fairy tales," Konso Priatt snickered menacingly, glancing down at Karin, his eyes gleaming like a snake that had cornered its prey, "Fancy meeting you here, girl. Long time no see, huh?" He let out a bark of a laugh, then cracked his knuckles.

_**Baaaah, confused, dear reader? Well, next chapter, things get..."heated", shall we say? All will be explained...well, mostly anyway.**_

_**Thank you for your support! I hope you enjoyed this long, but wild chapter!**_

_**Romania Black**_


	41. Don't

Ahh, so watching Pulp Fiction while writing the ending to this chapter. Yeah. I'll let you read first, and then tell me if you get the reference at the end. Watching awesome movies does help stimulate the brain!

Back on topic, this chapter took me most of the day to write and get down, but I'm happy with it now. I hope to have one more done before I move back to my apartment Sunday...but I make no promises. I hope you like this chapter though!

Finally, before I leave you with this, a _**LOT **_of special thanks! I'm so lucky to have amazing readers like you all! Thanks goes out to reviewers **lilystarCHAN **(Thanks so much! The good news is that this chapter is almost all Toshiro-filled. The bad news is that you'll probably think I'm evil again once the chapter is over. Please forgive me!), **Garnet-Asian Angel **(Oh, Toshiro's going to be a Knight in this chapter, but you're absolutely right, Karin's a Kurosaki. And we all know life with them...it's a messed up family! And I won't kill off Karin...yet? haha, just kidding! Yes, Kenpachi and Yachiru plus Evil Life Threatening Battle? Perfect combo!), **Turtle-Chan in Blue** (hahaahahaha! Yes! Soi Fon shouldn't have used such a complex attack...but she's so proud. *sigh* What can you do? Apparently punch her lights out.), **T.h.E.s.R. **(Kenpachi was like the Mayuri of two chapters back...so much fun to do dialogue with! I tend to keep it just Karin-centric right now without too much pairing. The girl's only 13 you know! And yeah, the Soi Fon bit was a little confusing. Basically, the Main Room was destroyed, and all the captains gathered to hold the Vasto Lordes back. Soi Fon just got a little too eager to lay the first actual hit on him...and we see what happened. And yeah, this VL is pretty strong huh? As for Lyall going insane...hmmmm...), and **stormcrowley **(Thank you! I feel like this story is opening up to be the adventure I want it to be. As for Lyall, he's got a pretty heavy agenda right now. And the VL plus Arrancar combo is DEFINITELY going to make it ugly in this chapter and those to come...wait and see.)

Enjoy the story!

Romania Black

**Chapter Forty-One**

**All I know from what I see  
All I see from what I know  
Blindfold to capture the Rain  
Blindfold to escape the Pain**

"Mmmmm," Konso Priatt, the white-skinned Arrancar, raised his spidery index finger and waved it between Yoruichi and Hanatarou, "which one of you should I kill first?" His eyes gleamed in the moonlight, "I'm sure neither of you will let me take the girl without dying."

Karin stood with her feet planted firmly on the ground, her navy eyes wide with shock. _That's...that's the Arrancar from Karakura Town. He's the one-_"I thought Toshiro killed you," Karin blurted aloud. Yoruichi and Hanatarou both stared at her.

"You know this hollow?" Yoruichi gave her an incredulous look.

"Yeah," Karin frowned, "He's the one that attacked us at Karakura Town," _And tried to kill me, _Karin couldn't make herself say that part though. "I thought Toshiro had killed him."

"Bah," Konso spat, "That runt _kill _me? You know who you're talkin' to, brat?"

Yoruichi's golden eyes were wider as she turned back to Konso, who looked bored at the exposition taking place. "You're the Arrancar the Kido Corps were tracking. Not," She observed, "The Vasto Lordes."

"Heh," Konso snickered, "You're a smart cookie. Nah, I'm no Vasto Lordes."

To Karin's surprise, as well as Hanatarou's, Yoruichi suddenly smiled. "Ah," She said, sounding almost refreshed, "That's good to hear."

"Eh?" The Arrancar raised an eyebrow.

Yoruichi raised an arm horizontally and white lightening began to form around her wrist. Karin could feel the spiritual energy start to pour from the catlike woman. "That means," Yoruichi smirked darkly through the wave of lightening starting to surround her, "I shouldn't worry about losing."

"Stand back, Miss Karin!" Hanatarou grabbed Karin by the waist and shoved her back several feet. "You'll get hit by that energy if you don't." His droopy eyes focused on hers.

"Oh," Karin noticed the white lightening surging around Yoruichi. The Arrancar didn't look pleased about this development. Yoruichi cracked her knuckles, the white lightening erupting around her.

"Haaaah!" Yoruichi sprang forward and connected her fist to the Arrancar's chest. A flash of energy ripped across the treeline, as Konso was rocketed backwards like a missile. There was a crash, leaves scattering, and the sound of splintered wood. Karin smelled smoke from the blast, as it invaded her nostrils.

"Woah," Karin murmured. Hanatarou was trying not to shake as he stood beside her. Yoruichi landed beside her, brushing back a lock of purple hair. "Yoruichi, that was...," but she stopped the compliment, seeing that Yoruichi's face bore no look of triumph. "What's wrong?"

"He's far from being defeated," Yoruichi was looking towards the trees where she'd just jetisoned Konso. "However, he's not that strong. I should be able to take care of him. What bothers me," She turned to look behind them, "Is why he's here, and where the Vasto Lordes is."

Hanatarou gulped audibly. Karin narrowed her eyes, her face determined, "The two of us can go to mansion if you want to hold him off."

Yoruichi glanced at her with a surprised look. _She realizes this isn't her fight._ "Oh," She slowly formed a grin_, Sometimes it's hard to believe she's Ichigo's sister_, "Yes, you two head to Leta's. I'll hold the Arrancar off to allow you time."

"Good. Let's go, Hanatarou!" Karin gripped his hand and led him away, taking a route ahead that slightly detoured where Yoruichi had sent the Arrancar flying.

"Do you think we'll be safe at the mansion?" Hanatarou asked, his eyes looking fearfully at the young Shinigami.

Karin didn't answer him at first. _Safe from both an Arrancar and a Vasto Lordes? _She sighed, irritated at her lack of knowing, "Who knows?"

Yoruichi, meanwhile, had flash-stepped to the location Konso had landed. He was sitting up, his legs sprawled apart, amongst several toppled over trees, branches and twigs floating through the air and being recovered in soil.

"Bleh," The Arrancar spit out a glob of blood, wiping his mouth with his right forearm, "That's a nasty attack there, cookie."

"Thank you," Yoruichi gave a small smile, her voice curt. _He seems like a big talker...I wonder how much he knows...and if he'd tell? _"In cahoots with the Vasto Lordes, huh? That's a smart alliance for a weak hollow like yourself."

Konso gave her a look of disbelief, "Please, woman," He shook his head, "You're pathetic, you know?"

Yoruichi felt a chill run up her spine, "Hmm?"

"I may have a big mouth," The Arrancar chided, "but I'm no fool. All you need to know is that I'm not working for that worm of a Vasto Lordes." He slowly rose to his feet, straightening and stretching his back until it popped.

Yoruichi eyed him, her mind racing with numerous thoughts. _"That" Vasto Lordes? So this Vasto Lordes is a rogue? Who's he working for? Who's this Arrancar working for? _Yoruichi wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, _More questions than answers. Damn. _"And I suppose," The tilted her head with a sarcastic smile, "You're not willing to tell me who sent you to capture Karin?"

Konso gave his back one more good pop, his hands resting on the white small of his backside, "Ah, there you go again, cookie. I'll spill the beans," He smirked evilly, "If you can beat them out of me."

* * *

"That Arrancar must not be very tough," Hanatarou commented as he and Karin ran through the forest.

"What are you talking about?" Karin felt a drop of sweat run down her cheek.

"I mean, the barrier they made was to hold Vice-Captain level reitsu or higher within the Summit Hall. The Arrancar came at us from the woods, so he must have went through the barrier before it shut down and his friend, the Vasto Lordes, could get through." Hanatarou's gloomy expression lightened, "So he can't be that strong then!"

Karin considered this. "Or he didn't come with the Vasto Lordes to begin with," She noted finally, turning to Hanatarou, whose light blue eyes were wide with fear. They were reaching the edge of the tree line; the forest around them was starting to diminish and thin, more spaces between the trees. "Here we go," Karin smiled. The edge of the forest meant they were closing in on the Kamaguchi Manor.

The clearing was lit up by the torches scattered througout the yard of the Kamaguchi grounds; the fence surrounding the area looking weak and flimsy as it always had. But Karin knew it was a ruse; there was actually powerful Kido blocking anyone from entering.

Karin walked around the fence, Hanatarou trailing behind her, "The fence is protected by Kido, so we can't get in unless an attendent lets us. We'll have to make sure we-"

Karin blinked, and a figure flashed directly in front of her. Hanatarou squealed and fell backwards onto the ground, shuffling away several feet in terror. Karin raised a hand to protect her chest and face, but lowered it as soon as she saw who it was.

"Toshiro!" She exclaimed in surprise. The diminuitive captain had his sword gripped in one hand, and Karin saw it was already released, the silvery chain dangling into his other arm, a moon-shaped blade on the end of it. The captain sighed impatiently,

"You never cease to amaze me, Karin," Toshiro looked at her, his intensely teal eyes looking with disbelief, "An all-powerful Hollow racing to capture you, and you're still able to outrun him in that ridiculously oversized dress."

His words forced Karin to look down. It was true, she was still in her navy ballgown, though the ends of it were dirty and frayed; she hoped Leta would forgive her. "Oh, uhm, well, since we're not at the Summit Hall...I guess I don't need it on anymore, do I?" She stated casually, as she undid the back clasp and let it fall off her shoulders. She had lowered the dress to her waist when she heard Toshiro utter an indescribable noise. She lifted her eyes and saw that his face was bright red, which made his eyes and ice hair stand out all that much more.

"Wha-what are you doing?" Toshiro stammered, his hand rising as if to cover his face; but not quite making it past his chest.

"What?" Karin furrowed her brows, not understanding what the big deal was. Suddenly, it hit her. "I'm wearing this under it." She let the gown fall to the dirt, revealing the skin-tight sleeveless body suit. "Seriously, what did you think I was doing?" She eyed him suspiciously, but to her relief, the red had drained from his face; which looked much calmer.

"I would ask where you got such an...outfit," Toshiro finally managed to say, still looking flushed in the face, "But I'm going to go ahead and guess Urahara had something to do with it."

Karin's eyes opened wide in surprise, "Does he normally make stuff like this for other Shinigami?" She asked, wondering who else could possibly have an ability like her.

Toshiro chose to ask a different question, rather than answer hers, "Did you have your zanpakuto under your dress this entire time?" He pointed curiously to her hip, where her sheathed sword hung.

"Oh!" Karin patted the crimson hilt. "Yeah, Yoruichi brought it along with the suit. Urahara even made this clip here," She pointed to her hip, where a small barely noticeable cloth fastener was attached to the sword's sheath, "So when I'm not using-"

"Uhm, I hate to interrupt, but we need to get inside." Karin and Toshiro turned to see Hanatarou still on the ground, his hands covering his eyes.

Karin smiled; _What an innocent guy._ "It's okay, Hanatarou, you can look." Her friend on the ground uncovered his eyes, looking relieved. "Yeah, we should try to go inside," She started to walk forward, Hanatarou rising to his feet.

"You're hiding in the Kamaguchi mansion?" Toshiro raised an eyebrow at Karin, who nodded.

"Yoruichi told us to." Seeing Toshiro's questioning face, she added, "She gave us the chance to run when-" _Wait, _Karin suddenly thought mid-sentence_, That Arrancar is the same one that attacked us the day when... _"-when she went to fight another hollow that was following us."

"_Another _hollow?" Toshiro frowned incredulously, "Just how many are after you?"

"Only that one," Karin answered, walking ahead of him. She hoped Hanatarou would have the good sense and not mention anything else about the Arrancar around Toshiro. "Well, that and this apparent Vasto-"

Karin's sentence was cut off as a tree came flying through the forest, trunk and all, and slammed into the gate of the Kamaguchi Manor. The Kido surrounding the fence flashed with white light and the entire tree disintegrated into tiny flecks of grey dust.

"-Lordes." Karin finished quietly. _So that's what happens, _Karin thought, stunned; _I'm glad I never tried to enter the mansion without-_ "Leta!" The young Shinigami involuntarily called out the name of her instructor as she saw the strawberry blonde emerge from the forest, spinning her heels to turn in the dirt to face the treeline. Her face looked fierce, as if in the middle of a battle.

Toshiro had jumped in front of Karin, his sword drawn tightly towards his face. "Move back," He growled, his voice suddenly tense.

"What's happening?" Hanatarou had his hands raised above his head, his eyes big as dinner plates.

"The Vasto Lordes," Karin whispered, her face white. She could see him now, coming out of the woods slowly, like a predator cornering its prey. It had baby blue tinted skin, the finely muscled body of a man, with white loose pants, black boots, and a bone-like blade jutting from its elbows. This didn't scare Karin; what frightened her was its mask. Smooth and rounded sides, it was stark white with a black tattoo-like line running up and curling around the eye of the mask; its own eyes a dead black. The mask had no mouth either.

"You." The Vasto Lordes' voice was scarier than its face, a rumbling, deep gravel-scraping rasp. It had turned its head to stare at Karin.

Leta's eyes were full of panic as she turned them to Karin, "Guard yourself! Don't let him touch you!"

"I won't let him!" Toshiro angrily called out.

Karin stared at him with an angered expression. _Does he think I can't take care of myself? I am NOT going to be some stupid damsel in distress here! _"Back up, Hanatarou. Toshiro," Karin said calmly, to which both Toshiro and Hanatarou looked at her curiously.

"Huh?" Hanatarou's voice was confused. "Why?"

"Otherwise you'll get burned," Karin eyed him with a stern frown, drawing out her sword. "Surrender, Yakyuu!"

The sword in her hand vanished, unraveling into dozens of flames that engulfed her body. She focused, and the flames collected and were absorbed into her wrist; Karin knew they were now a part of it. She looked down, hoping the suit had actually worked; otherwise, the situation would indeed be awkward once again. To her relief and utmost happiness, the black suit hadn't even charred an inch. On the contrary, it looked completely normal.

"It works!" Karin smiled, her hand forming into a fist. She watched it, seeing small licks of fire trying to escape from between her tensed fingers.

"_Move_!" Leta shoved Karin out of the way as the Vasto Lordes collided its elbow with Toshiro's sword, ice forming on the hollow's bone blade. Hanatarou had retreated behind a tree, his knees shaking as he looked at the scene in front of him. Leta angrily looked down at Karin; it was the first time she'd ever seen her instructor upset. "I said guard yourself! You won't have time to admire your zanpakuto if you're dead!" Her hazel eyes were blazing, "Get it together, Karin!"

"Sorry," Karin apologized timidly. She didn't like seeing Leta frown, so to see her yell was almost unbearable for the young Shinigami. She felt her knees shaking as she stared up from the ground at her mentor.

Leta looked at her another moment, as if deciding something, before her face softened. "Do yourself a favor," her voice stern and strained, "And get inside my house already." The corners of her mouth drew upward to form her trademark grin, causing the tension to ease between them. Karin rose quickly, as Leta helped her to her feet. "You'll have plenty of time to fight in the future, trust me." She grinned, which in turn caused Karin to as well. Despite the danger around them, Karin felt safer with Leta to guide her through it.

"Okay," Karin took off towards the gate with Leta ahead of her, about to pass Toshiro and the Vasto Lordes, when the young Shinigami suddenly realized, "Hanatarou!" She spun around, "Come on! You too!"

"What?" Leta turned in her step to see Karin running back towards the treeline. "Wha-Karin! Wait!"

_We can't leave him! _Karin thought frantically, as she reached out a hand, "Come on, Hanatarou! We won't leave you here!" A gust of wind rushed across face as her hand drew nearer to his, Hanatarou's blue eyes wide with fear, but his face registering a relief that she hadn't forgotten him.

"Karin," He said in a weak, kind voice, then she could see the pupils of his eyes shrink, "Look out!"

The Vasto Lordes, seeing Karin rush back to the trees, grabbed Toshiro's sword with one hand by the blade, and thrust his other arm forward, the elbow-blade aimed at Captain Hitsugaya's eye. Avoiding the gouging attempt, the small Shinigami ducked his head, but in doing so took his focus from the hollow, allowing it to have the opportunity to send its knee flying upward to crack into Toshiro's back. The captain let out a gasp and a cough of blood, as the Vasto Lordes flew past the injured Hitsugaya and the panicked woman below him, to tackle Karin.

The next sensation Karin felt was a body grip her by the waist and pull her down. She hit the dirt, the firm landing rattling her head. She had closed her eyes and for a second, all was silent and black. _No! _Karin forced the thought through the bleak darkness_, I am not going to pass out from this! _

Karin felt a warm breeze sweep past her lips and her eyes slowly reopened. The atmosphere was orange and red from the torches lighting the yard of the Kamaguchi manor. Karin thought in that moment that the reds and the greens from the treeline looked odd together. Then she realized she was being held in an arm-lock by the Vasto Lordes.

With one arm gripped by the other, she reared her elbow forward, focusing the fire to the point where the two bones of her arm connected, and sling-shot her arm into the hollow's stomach. The fire rippled across its flesh, and he gave a low grunt of pain, but the fire, to Karin's surprise, didn't penetrate its body.

"What?" _It didn't even break the surface of his skin-_

The Vasto Lordes tightened its grip on Karin and lifted a hand to squeeze her wrist. Karin realized what it was doing. "Wait!" She screamed, but it was too late. The pressure he was emitting was terrifying, but what he was doing with it was worse. The Vasto Lordes wasn't trying to subdue her with his spiritual pressure; he was manipulating it. With a strain of his hand, Karin let out a wail as the flames erupted from her wrist to re-form the katana in her hand. It didn't burn, but felt as if the hairs of her arm were being yanked out in fistfuls. _He-he-he forced me to seal my sword..._ She realized, feeling suddenly drained.

"Karin!" Leta screamed, running forward. _He realized when she released her Shikai that it entered her wrist...she's still a rookie, so she couldn't fight back. _This wasn't looking good.

Toshiro was struck with confusion at the sight, "How did he-?"

"Don't," The Vasto Lordes raised Karin's hand, still clutching the sealed Yakyuu, and held it against her throat.

Karin could feel the cool metal touch her skin. Her arm was limp, like a puppet's. No matter how loud her soul was screaming for her to resist or stop him, her arms were detached; unable to even twitch. _It's like he's sucking up any energy I have..._

Both Leta and Toshiro froze at the sight, both screaming "_Don't!"_ simultaneously.

"Don't," The Vasto Lordes growled threateningly, as he took his other arm and made a slashing motion towards the sky. Hundreds of feet above them in the pitch black sky, a loud groaning creaked through the trees. Karin had never heard anything like it before. Or had she? _Karakura, _She thought, her brain a sloth. His skin seemed warmer than before.

"Stop, wait!" Leta screamed, her sword twitching wildly in her hand, her yellow dress covered in black soil and ripped in several places._ No, no, no, no! We've lost, we've lost! There has to be something I can do...he can't take her!_

"We can't do a damn thing," Toshiro muttered, his knuckles white from grasping his own sword too hard, "We were completely useless." _We need to attack him! But how? He has the blade at her throat, and if we so much as lose a second in our assault-_He tried to keep his mind from the thought, the image of Karin's head rolling limp across the cold earth, forging at the forefront of his mind. He shook the thought away with a flinch.

Karin, her body feeling numb, stared at them with a weary face. _Stop. Stop looking at me like that_. She wanted to escape his grasp, so she wouldn't have to see their faces look so desperate and completely helpless. She caught a glimpse at Hanatarou. He was shaking against a tree, and her eyes could have been deceiving her against the red torch light, but Karin could have swore he was crying.

"Damn it," She muttered, feeling her feet lift off the ground, "I couldn't do anything."

Their bodies grew smaller at first as her and the Vasto Lordes rose toward the blackened sky. Then she saw two bodies start to grow larger again; it was Toshiro and Leta rising to stop the Vasto Lordes. _But what could they do? _The blade was still cold against her skin. Without hesitation, but hollow gripped her tighter and they flew into an even darker, starless tear in the sky. Karin recognized it from earlier; it was similar to how Konso had arrived in Karakura Town.

Toshiro was flying fast towards them; "Let her go, Vasto Lordes!"

Leta was suddenly on the side of the hollow, her sword raised and slashing horizontally. Her blade connected with its arm, the one holding Karin's wrist. The sword slit the hollow's arm, the gash deep and instantly bleeding dark blood. Karin felt the blade release from her throat and took a heavy breath. _Good to see I won't be headless anytime soon._

Toshiro swung his sword in the air, his teal eyes fiery even in the pale moonlight, "Bankai! Daiguren Hyorinmaru!"

Karin's eyes grew wide as ice exploded from Toshiro's back, forming into frozen dragon wings. His hand clutching the sword appeared like the head of a glacial dragon, his feet iced dragon's talons. Karin stared; it was a bizarre transformation, but strangely interesting.

Toshiro sent a blast of frozen water towards the hollow. It dodged with Karin still in grip, falling backwards. Both Karin and the Vasto Lordes looked upward to see Leta hovering overhead, her sword coming to crash onto the hollow's neck like a guillotine. With one arm, the Vasto Lordes went to grab Leta's sword, but as he did this, Toshiro sent another icy attack, slicing into the arm holding Karin, and causing him to fully release his grip upon her.

Karin felt her body plummet downward, but couldn't force herself to stop in midair, her body was too exausted to move. Luckily, Toshiro caught her with his non-iced arm and held her close to his chest. The two glanced at each other, and what Karin saw in his eyes was a mixed expression of relief, anger, and some emotion she couldn't quite place.

"Hang on," He advised her, his sword raised in front of his face.

_I guess I earned this tonight, _Karin sighed, realizing her lecture to him about how she was not a damsel in distress would have to wait until later, "I didn't think you intended to let me go."

Leta turned to Toshiro as she pulled her sword out from the Vasto Lordes' flesh, her hazel eyes hawk-like, "Now!"

"Sennon Hyoro!" Toshiro twisted his sword and Karin saw numerous pillars of ice start to form around the Vasto Lordes, which looked confused. They circled and enclosed the hollow, like a prison made of frozen columns connected together. Toshiro and Karin stared at the ice fortress, waiting for the Vasto Lordes to break free. But nothing happened; only silence except for the wind slithering through the trees.

Leta gazed at the ice wall, "Did it work? Toshiro?"

"He's trapped," Karin murmured aloud in amazement. _They'd won. They actually trapped it! _"You did it, Toshiro." She turned to look him in the eye, a grin budding on her lips.

The diminuitive captain actually let a smile flash across his young face, "Karin, how many times have I told you? Address me as 'Captain'-"

The Vasto Lordes flashed in front of them, it's white skull as bright as the moon. Karin gasped, and Toshiro's words caught in his looked frozen in mid-air. _No! _The words flashed across her mind, _But how can he-_

The next motion seemed to Karin to take an eternity, though to a normal spectator would have only taken a matter of seconds. The Vasto Lordes took his forearm and threw it against the captain's face. There was a crack, and Toshiro's head whipped backward, blood oozing into the sky. Karin called out his name, as Leta screamed hers, and the Vasto Lordes grabbed Karin by the arm, threw her against himself, and kicked Captain Hitsugaya to send him falling to the ground below. Karin gripped the hollow's arm, feeling sensation rush back into her limbs. But the Vasto Lordes squeezed her body to him tighter and looked into her eyes. She realized they were so close she could see into the eye holes of his mask. The irises of his eyes were a bright, almost neon blue. The rest of the eyeball that was normally white, was as black as the night sky. Karin was frozen in his arms, mesmerized as he spoke, his voice less rocky than before,

"Don't," he warned, "move."

Before Karin could blink, the world went black.

Leta flew down in a fury, grabbing Toshiro by the arm to stop his , no longer shaking, lept from behind the tree, his face full of a new resolve. _I can't fight anything, but I can-_

"Please move aside, Miss Kamaguchi! I'll heal him!" He pulled from his side a thin blade, the middle of it hollow. Leta mentally noted it appeared more like a thermometer than an actual weapon. "Fulfill, Hisagomaru!" He jabbed the blade into the captain's arm, and a red liquid started to fill the hollowed out portion of the katana. The liquid only stopped halfway up the sword though, before Toshiro flashed his teal eyes open. His face looked polished and clean, where a moment prior it had been bruised and covered in blood.

He sat up, Hanatarou quickly removing the blade from his arm. "Karin!" He screamed, and immediately stopped; realizing where he was. He looked from Hanatarou to Leta, whose face bore the exact emotion to let him know the answer before he even asked. "What happened?"

"We failed," Leta's voice was choked, "She's gone."


	42. Blank Slate

Hello! Ahh...it's been a really long week! Moving back to my apartment, having new roommates (who are luckily great by the way), and getting ready for school again. Blah. Anyway, it seems like it's been forever, but here's the new chapter! A few notes,

1. I do have new fan art up! Go to DeviantART (just add .com to the end of the phrase) and look up my artwork for the story. The scene I illustrated is NOT exactly how it happens in the chapter, but I still think you'll like the Vasto Lordes picture I've drawn. I'm considering maybe doing a piece of fanart for each chapter...what do you think?

2. I'm SO happy for the responses I've had for the last two chapters!_ THANK YOU ALL _for all the compliments and suggestions and reviews! Special thanks to the following readers:

**That guy around the corner** (who actually reviewed my OLD OLD OLD Lord of the Rings Story...thank you! I had to thank him here, since that story is completed. haha), **Iaf Aros, bleach-chan **(I had a LOT of fun with the last two chapters especially! I'm glad you did too!), **GamerNeko **(Seriouly, THANK YOU for liking the story! When I write, I try to keep it as close to Tite Kubo's vision as possible. I think it shows respect to him as an illustrator and author. Your review made me so giddy and joyful. I hope you like this chapter too!), **Turtle-chan in Blue **(haha! Clearly, Dresses + fights = not good, most definitely! Haha! And don't worry, I love your funny reviews...they don't have to be long at all!), **Garnet Asian-Angel **(holy cow! That LONG of a review on an Iphone! Crazy! Also, Toshiro and Karin naturally have a bond, since they've known each other in the past, but Karin's a little young now to be developing anything more than a crush. Now _when _I _age _her...down the road in this story...that may change! bwahaha, but for now, she's going to Hueco Mundo, the Hollow world. As for how Toshiro feels right about now...your guess was spot on! ^^), **theloverofanime **(haha, you'll find out next chapter the fate of Konso. haha, but yeah, I love bringing stuff back from earlier chapters...Konso especially! bwahaha. Hanatarou's zanpakuto isn't my own design though; if you watch the anime and even in the manga, his zanpakuto is shown. I agree though, Tite is genius for creating it to fit him so well! Also, Leta's zanpakuto...ahhh, you bring up a good point. I wanted to show it in the last chapter, but couldn't. Let's just say...it's not something to use "just whenever" if that helps. ;P ), **Wolfsbane706 **(Ichigo is making an appearance soon! So is Isshin! I'm glad you brought that up. Karin isn't in Karakura Town now, she's gone the opposite direction, haha, but a vizard showing up? hmmmmmmm, that may be an idea for the future! Thanks for the suggestion! I'll be sure to fit one or...more...bwaha, in soon!), and **stormcrowley **(Well, I hope in the next two chapters to explain the Arrancar/Vasto Lordes relationship, and what's happening there. It's just too soon to explain this chapter. But YES, an influential person in Hueco Mundo? Ooooh, yes yes. bwahaha [I've been doing a LOT of evil laughs this review time] I'm really flattered at your analysis of my fight writing. I owe it to you for giving me great tips! :) I hope you like the chapters to come. I really feel in the groove with the story now, so hopefully it'll live up to its "ratings" so to speak. As for the Vasto Lordes...he's a character too. I'm excited for him to unravel to the readers.)

3. I saw a new friend at my apartment wearing a Kon t-shirt. It made me so happy. I just had to share! :)

Anyway, enough of me blabbing! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and as always thank you for being wonderful readers.

Romania Black

**Chapter Forty-Two**

**In the Aftermath  
The Aftermath  
The Slate is Left Open  
Left Open and Black  
Left Open and Blank**

It was a trickle of a breeze; enough to barely scrape across the skin of Karin's cheek, but it brought her back to her senses. Enough of a swell to make her wake from the unconsciousness, though it didn't seem to make a difference whether she kept her eyes closed or open. The world around her was black. _Black..._And Karin realized where she was.

"Hey! Let me go!" She pressed her palms against the Vasto Lordes' forearm, to try and pry herself from the strong grip that was trapping her against his warm chest. His skin felt thick and similar to coarse leather. "Let. Me. _GO_!" She grunted and tried to break the hold he had upon her, but the tension didn't falter an inch.

The Vasto Lordes remained silent as the darkness overwhelming Karin suddenly began to disintegrate, a pale light shining before them. Karin closed her eyes to keep from being blinded by the oncoming light, and she felt a gust of wind erupt across her face.

There was a THUMP and she felt herself being lowered to the ground, or, as her feet indicated, onto the sand beneath her. She felt the loamy soil wriggle between the toes of her bare feet. _Yoruichi forgot to give me fireproof shoes, _Karin thought on a sidenote, her heart suddenly twinging with the realization that she had left Yoruichi fighting Konso Priatt back in the Soul Society. Her eyes opened and she gave a tiny, barely audible gasp at the sight before her.

It was desert. The sand was white, like some of the American beaches she had seen in her father's travel magazines; untarnished and like soft snow. The snow-sand stretched beyond her sight, contrasted magnificently with a black starless sky, only the white crescent moon illuminated overhead. The rest of the background, despite its vast openness, was relatively empty. Only a few charred and dying trees and scattered boulders gazed upon Karin and her captor.

"This...," Karin let the sight sink in, "Is..."

"Hueco Mundo," Karin spun around to see the Vasto Lordes staring at her with his deadpool eyes, "Our home."

Karin was not enthused by the sudden talkative nature of this hollow, her eyes narrowing agrily, "_Your _home, you mean." She crossed her arms at her chest; it was surprisingly chilly for a desert. "Listen," She continued, after noticing there was a three feet distance created between her and the Vasto Lordes. She wondered if it was enough for her to escape. _Probably not, _she thought dismally, "I don't know why you brought me here, but I need to go back to the Soul Society." The Vasto Lordes remained silent, still eyeing her with a prone gaze. Karin frowned, "The Council obviously negotiated with you, but you don't understand. Whatever your strategy is to get Ichigo here isn't going to work. All you're going to end up doing is-"

"Shut the Hell up!"

Karin heard another voice cry out, and felt something crack against her head. With a yelp of pain, Karin fell to one knee, grasping the side of her head with her hand, and feeling a warm spot forming above her ear. She pressed the hand to the spot and saw a trickle of red slither down towards her elbow.

"Ow, you idiot!" She cried out in anguish and anger, "Who the Hell threw that?" She noticed a rock the size of her palm lying in the sand beside her.

"I said," Something caught Karin's back, knocking her to the ground, "Shut the Hell up!" Karin fell hard against the sand. The voice sneered, "_You're _the idiot."

Karin kept her hand on the side of her head to try and stop the bleeding, as she lay on her stomach. She saw a pair of tiny black ankle boots step in front of her face, stopping so that the figure attached to them could look down on the young Shinigami. The voice, one that Karin now recognized as female, gave a disgusted sigh to the Vasto Lordes,

"_This _is her?" The voice incredulously called out, "You risked your ass for this thing? Are you kidding me, Sonido?"

Karin processed what she said, drawing a slow conclusion. She turned her head slightly to look up at the Vasto Lordes, who was silently observing Karin. "Your...name is Sonido?" It suddenly seemed odd that he _wouldn't _have a name, given Konso had one.

"Shut up!" The owner of the feminine voice kicked Karin's back, causing the young Shinigami to recoil into a half-fetal position. "Dear lord, you're annoying." She gripped Karin by the back of her outfit and forced her to her feet. Karin, still feeling a twinge of pain from the kick to her backside, gave a sharp hurting grunt as she stared at the figure that had attacked her.

It was a child. Or, a hollow with the appearance of a child. She was an inch shorter than Karin, wearing a white plain sleeveless dress that cut off at the knees, the little black ankle boots accentuated. The dress had small black triangles arranged along the hem, and at the rounded collar of the dress. Her skin was pale, with a peachy hue, her button nose and mouth visible; as was one eye, the outer edges of the eye white, and the iris a brilliant reddish pink. The other eye was hidden by a broken in half mask. The mask was white with a lone horn coming out on the side of it; the horn reminded Karin of an antelope's. The mask had a black tattoo like stripe coming up from the back of it and stopping a few inches short of the eyehole. The hollow's hair was the same rose color as her eye, separated into two braids that touched halfway down her shoulders.

"You're," Karin gaped at the hollow-girl, "A kid."

"Since when," Karin grabbed her knee as the hollow-girl kicked it angrily, "did I give you permission to speak? Hmm?" The hollow-girl had her hands, which were gloved in black material that rose to her elbows, stretched behind her back, leaning down towards Karin.

"Let's bind her hands with something," the hollow-girl glanced up at the Vasto Lordes, "I don't trust her."

"Do you see anything to bind her with?" The Vasto Lordes inquired blandly.

The female hollow looked at him irritated, having not considered this, "No." She pouted, then kicked Karin in the shin, "Dammit!" The hollow yelled with an angered frown.

"Stop kicking me!" Karin gasped, scooting her body away from the hollow.

"Yes," The Vasto Lordes finally spoke up, a rumbling gritty voice emitting from him. Surprisingly to Karin though, it had toned down considerably from when he was in the Soul Society. It sounded a lot less scary now. The Vasto Lordes gazed at the hollow-girl, and she straightened back to full height. "She'll be no good to us dead."

"Pfft," The hollow-girl spat angrily, "Says you, Sonido." The Vasto Lordes turned his back to her, looking out at the sprawling desert. "I say we kill her and hang her corpse outside the remnants of Los Noches, so _every-one _can see her," She said 'everyone' in a high-pitched, evil sing-song voice that gave Karin chills down her arms.

"Don't be a child," The Vasto Lordes sneered, its head tilting to the side to glare at the hollow-girl. His voice was clearly disappointed.

The hollow-girl frowned, her eye darkening, "I'm not." She retorted grimly, her voice lower.

The two hollows stared at each other for a second, then the Vasto Lordes turned to look at Karin, who was questioning herself what to do. _I can't run away, _Karin thought desperately_, but I can't fight him either...I wonder if I could-Oh!_ Karin realized suddenly that her sword was attached at her hip again. _It must have clicked back into place when he grabbed me. Hmm,_ She looked, an idea forming in her mind, at the hollow-girl.

"Um," Karin noticed the Vasto Lordes was looking at her. The hollow-girl gave Karin an agitated look as if to say _"Did I not just tell you to shut up?" _but Karin ignored it. "What's...Los Noches?"

The hollow-girl huffed, "Why should we tel-"

"Answer the question," The Vasto Lordes cut in, with what to Karin seemed like an agitated sigh, his breath vibrating against the inside of the mask. The hollow-girl stared at him with her mouth half-open for a split second, as if to argue, but shut it and then gave Karin an icy stare.

She paused, thoroughly displeased at having to explain, "Las Noches was originally a palace where the King of Hueco Mundo," She leered at Karin, "That's where we are," She said in a teacherly matter-of-fact tone.

"Don't mock me," Karin cut in darkly.

"And where the King resided," The hollow-girl continued, ignoring Karin. "Well, until Aizen came along and set up shop there." She pointed out into the desert, "Las Noches is about a three day walk from here that way."

Karin stared out into the bleak sandy desert. She saw nothing that resembled a palace or castle anywhere within sight. _Three DAY walk? They're not seriously planning on walking all the way there...are they? _"And this King of Hueco Mundo?" Karin asked curiously, raising an eyebrow to the hollow-girl.

"Dead," The Vasto Lordes turned his back away from Karin, looking forward into the empty sand once again. Karin stared at him. _Good...he's not even looking at us now..._

"Yeah," the hollow-girl chuckled, rolling her eyes, "Seriously," She turned to the Vasto Lordes, "I don't know what King Barragan was thinking, joining up with that Shinigami." Karin took a side-step, her eyes intently on the hollow-girl as she talked. "I mean, he didn't have anything to gain from it...it's not like he needed to go to the Real World."

"He should have fled," The Vasto Lordes muttered quietly, his back still to Karin and the hollow. Karin took another quiet side-step, her hand slowly motioning towards her hip.

"Bah, he was too proud for that," The hollow-girl waved a hand dismissively to her partner, "Besides, after he was wrangled into everything, so was Halibel and Lilinette-"

"Don't," Karin wrapped an arm around the hollow-girl's neck and with the other, gripped the sword in her hand, raising it to point at its chest, "Move."

"The Hell?" The hollow-girl muttered with surprise, her rosy eye wide.

"I don't know who you two are," Karin angrily looked at the Vasto Lordes, her sword firmly held in her hand, "But you are taking me back to the Soul Society. Now!"

The Vasto Lordes, Sonido, slowly turned in his step, pivoting to face Karin and the hollow-girl. His mask made him expressionless. To Karin's bewilderment he actually seemed, by his posture, amused.

"I'm sorry," Sonido said slowly, "But that's not possible."

Karin felt a drop of sweat run down her temple. _Great. Of course he'd say that,_ "Then I kill your partner." She gripped the blade tighter. There was a moment of silence, save for the thundering in Karin's head.

To the young Shinigami's utmost horror, the Vasto Lordes let out a short bark of a laugh.

"Ah," The Vasto Lordes ran a finger across where normally a mouth would exist on his mask, "You would have done better to release your sword before saying such things."

Karin blinked, "What-?"

Before she could finish the sentence, the hollow-girl raised lowered her head and rocketed it upwards to headbutt Karin right in the face. The impact sent Karin staggering backwards, her hand still grasping her zanpakuto, but the blade no longer pointed towards the hollow's chest. The hollow-girl in an instant moved away from Karin and sent a kick flying into the young Shinigami's stomach. Karin shouted out in pain, and fell onto her back in the white sand. The hollow-girl dusted off her dress and cracked her knuckles, looking down at Karin with disgust. The Vasto Lordes seemed to have found great amusement in the entire affair.

Though Karin couldn't see through his mask, she knew he was smiling beneath it, "Had you released your flames, it would have been much more of a threat to Trigger."

"Save your breath, Sonido," The hollow-girl snapped, "As if she would be a threat to me!"

Karin felt the blood running down her face, but his words had sank into her head. She propped herself up with her elbows and stared at the two for a moment in silence. "Wait," Karin let out an exasperated sigh, looking from Sonido to the hollow-girl, "did he just say your name was-"

The hollow-girl raised a foot in front of Karin's face, "That's enough questions from you." The foot collided with Karin's nose, knocking her flat on her back in the sand, her body becoming limp. The hollow-girl waited a second, watching Karin's prone body. She took a step and kicked the young Shinigami's arm. It twitched, but didn't flinch. "She's out," the hollow-girl sighed, "Finally. I sure hope that's not the only way to shut her mouth." She grinned and looked to her partner, but he did not look happy at her actions.

"I would have preferred it if you hadn't knocked her unconscious," Sonido said darkly, "We will probably have to carry her to Las Noches."

"And _I _would have preferred it if you hadn't used that name around her," The hollow-girl frowned in rebuttal, her childish arms crossed, "Enemies are better when they're ignorant." She started looking around for something to bind the young Shinigami's hands. She glanced at Karin with a look of disbelief, "Are we seriously taking her to Las Noches?" She looked to Sonido for an answer, but he didn't respond. She gave Karin a twisted frown, "Personally, I wouldn't consider her a sibling, much less someone I'd come to rescue."

Sonido glanced down, but not at the hollow-girl. His eyes were gleaming from under the heavy mask at the crimson hilted sword that was lying beside Karin's limp wrist. "It is a good thing then," He turned his focus from the blade to the young Shinigami's prone face, "that you two aren't sisters."

_**I hope to have the next couple of chapters out as soon as possible!  
Thank you all so much for your support of the story! You are my inspiration for these chapters, and keep it going! Thank you!**_

_**Romania Black**_


	43. Motives in Motion

Well...this chapter was ridiculous to write. Seriously, I revised it over and over...adding, taking away...finally, I was pleased with it.

I think the main reason is that these next three chapters all occur within the SAME couple of hours/days...and there's SO MUCH going on, it gets confusing. Since some readers were confused as to what was going on (And I honestly don't blame you! haha!) I've created a (hopefully) Spoiler-Free cheat sheet to help you, the reader, keep things in line this chapter. There are three settings in this story:

1. The Real World. You'll find out what's going on there _this _chapter! ^^

2. The Soul Society. Basically the Vasto Lordes was invited in by Leta's brother Lyall, and a mysterious Arrancar showed up with him. The two hollow injured several aristocrats at the Summit Hall Ball a few chapters back, and a couple of Captains. Right now, the Gotei 13 are trying to keep the Vasto Lordes incident under wraps, while tending to the wounded. It's chaotic.

3. Hueco Mundo. This is where the Hollows live; and where Ichigo is rumored to be. Supposedly, the Vasto Lordes negotiated with the Council to kidnap Karin Kurosaki, to be bait for Ichigo. The reasons to this are currently unknown, but right now our heroine Karin is in Hueco Mundo with a Vasto Lordes, and another Hollow. We'll learn more about them next chapter!

I hope that clears up some things for now! I'm very thankful for the support the story has...this is officially my most reviewed story! Yay! It's all because of great people like you!

_SPECIAL THANKS_ goes to the following: **vanillatwilight132941, arden323, KazeArashiRaida, theloverofanime **(haha, I saw that spelling error after you reviewed. I'm going to probably struggle to keep it "las" instead of "los" but I'm going to try! You'll find out what our Soul Society friends are up to this chapter. As for "Trigger", yeah, she's kind of like Hiyori...but kind of not. You'll see next chapter more about her and why she has that weird, WEIRD name. Also, another request for Vizards? I'll see what I can do! haha, wink wink!), **bleach-chan **(Thanks! I've had Sonido thought up for a long time, and you'll learn more about him soon...as for poor Karin, she's got the Kurosaki blood in her telling her that she can beat up a Vasto Lordes when she's only been a Shinigami for a couple of weeks? *sigh* What's she thinking? But yes, while it is good for her to get knocked around a few times...the Vasto Lordes may be surprised by how much she's like her brother...hmmm...), **Turtle-chan in Blue** (Doesn't he? He hasn't made it into the story until his arrival in the Soul Society, but he even reminds me of a character...I just can't place it. Curse our tiny brains, huh? ^^), **bloodyrose1294 **(haha! As much as I'd like to take your idea as canon, I will say that Ichigo didn't ask the Vasto Lordes to take Karin. HOWEVER, whether or not Ichigo will be meeting them/asking of them in the future...hmmmm...), **Garnet Asian-Angel **(Thanks! I'm glad you like it! Yeah, Karin explaining to Ichigo...eep! That could be bad! Also, Karin's just a beginner, so her getting the snot beat out of her is bound to happen...for a little while anyway! haha), and **Nemane-chan **(Oh no! I don't want my readers to be confused! Last chapter was a bit sporatic and hectic, so I hope the notes above helped! Please let me know if anything else is confusing/weird. I'll try to patch things up...without giving too much away! Thanks for the review!)

While the last chapter was made hecticly, and rushed a bit, this chapter was done slow and steady, so I feel 100 TIMES better about it! I hope you do too! Enjoy,

Romania Black

**Chapter Forty-Three**

**absence of a friend  
is grinding salt  
into this gash on my heart**

The Seventh Division Vice-Captain, Tetsuzaemon Iba, picked up the pace, his white socked feet thumping against the hardwood floors of the infirmary. Iba had never considered himself a "messenger's boy", but when the Sixth Division Captain shoves his pale blade towards your face and eyes you with soulless pupils of consuming rage...one does tend to leave their pride on the table.

Iba wiped a palmful of sweat from the side of his freshly shaven face, _You know, Captain Kuchiki DOES have his own Lieutenant. Why couldn't he send him to come relay the message? _There was no need, though, for him to question the Captain's motives. It was clear that Byakuya Kuchiki had sent Lieutenant Iba to the Fourth Squad's main medical infirmary because of one specific reason.

"Watch it!"

Iba sidestepped fast enough to allow a Shinigami in a light pink nursing uniform past him, wheeling a metal rack stocked with over a dozen bags of crimson liquid down the hallway. He saw the plastic flimsy containers each had different names labeled on them.

_Bags specially made for patients, _Iba frowned, his eyes looking darkly out the corner of his black sunglasses at the nurse as she rushed the opposite direction. _Geez, they're literally overflowing this place with bodies, _he sighed with a distressed furrow of his eyebrow, _What the Hell happened at that Summit Dance anyway?_

* * *

"Dammit!"

Toshiro's fist slammed against his desk, his back turned so he could face the window. His office was overflowing with papers scattered across the floor, a few disheveled piles still barely contained on his desk. It looked as if it hadn't been cleaned in weeks, the dust creeping up onto the outer surface of the white blinds, which Captain Hitsugaya had pulled down so no one could peek into the office itself from the window.

His eyes gazed out the slits into the blinding light outside, but he didn't dare turn around. Not in front of _her_. Not yet.

"Do whatever you want," Yoruichi stood at the front of his desk, facing the Captain's backside. She was wearing her Shinigami robes with an orange dusty half-jacket over the top; her plum hair gleaming in the laced sunlight filtering into the room. She could count the dust particles in the air floating like a halo around her body, and wondered why the Captain's quarters were so dirty. "What's done is done."

Toshiro had an arm propping himself up against the wall, his eyes focused on the dust accumulating on the blind's white plastic strips. "But both of them..." It took all of Toshiro's focus to keep from turning towards her, "Both of them escaped."

Yoruichi's head slouched, "I'm sorry," She clutched her left arm, a long gauze bandage wrapped from her wrist to her elbow. Her eyes narrowed as she looked to the Captain, "He had help escaping though. He was an arrancar, but not a powerful one. Another figure came up from behind and attacked me," Her eyes lingered on the back of Toshiro's head, "I was not prepared-"

"I'm not blaming you," Toshiro's knuckles were white; his voice seething with stifled anger, his teeth grinding, "I'm just pisssed off that there was nothing more I could have done." He stopped to breathe, "He just...took her." Karin's dark eyes flashed in his mind; they were wide in shock, terrified. "As if no one was even trying to protect her..."

He turned slowly to face the cat woman, and she could see a blush of pink on the outer rims of his eyes. She forced herself to look away, her brows furrowed slightly,

"He was a Vasto Lordes," She sighed, as if that was all the explanation needed.

"But we've dealt with Vasto Lordes before," Toshiro countered angrily, "They weren't like this one. This one was stronger, faster-"

"Then maybe we're wrong," Yoruichi snapped her head up, glaring at Toshiro, "Maybe there's another level beyond Vasto Lordes we're not even _considering_." Her eyes were a fiery gold.

Toshiro shook his head, looking incredulously at her, "That's insane."

"Who's to say?" Yoruichi paced towards the couch and plopped down onto the cushion, her arm draped over the back. "From the sound of both our stories," She let out a grim chuckle, "We were utter failures. Even several aristocrats were injured in the initial evacuation of the Summit Hall. The Fourth Division is completely filled from what I've heard," Yoruichi's golden eyes softened, "And while Rukia and Soi Fon's already stated to make full recoveries, Captain Komamura's still unconscious."

"We were lucky," Toshiro growled, his eyes turning back to the window, "Lucky it didn't stick around to do more damage." The small captain didn't even want to comprehend the casualties that could have occurred had the Vasto Lordes stayed in the Soul Society. He shuddered involuntarily. The feline femme sighed, her cheek squished against her propped up hand, looking bored.

"I guess we are," She sighed.

"What now?" Toshiro exhaled, running a hand through his silvery white hair. He felt the anger slowly seeping out of his body, being replaced with a dull numb hopelessness.

"Lyall's being taken care of," Yoruichi replied, as she slowly rose from the couch, "We're no use in that area. However," Her eyes gained back some of the golden fire they had earlier, "I did hear some interesting gossip this morning. That's another reason I came by your office." She glanced around the untidy quarters, _Though I should probably call a maid to clean this place up while I'm at it..._

Toshiro had turned his head to glance at the cat woman out of the corner of his teal eye, "What kind of gossip?" He asked slowly. "From the Council?"

"No," Yoruichi scoffed, "The Council has no clue about this. It's from...," She slyly grinned, "Alternate sources."

_Urahara. _The word immediately popped into Toshiro's head. "I'm listening."

"The Vasto Lordes took Karin," She noticed his eyes narrow slightly, but continued without missing a beat, "under the pretense that it would lure Ichigo to him. For whatever reason this Vasto Lordes wants Ichigo, we still don't know." She paused, chuckling softly, "Probably for something that's not beneficial to his health."

"Keep going," Toshiro glared.

"Anyway, that's their reason for kidnapping her. However," Her feline eyes were golden slits, "they're about to be heavily disappointed that their plan has hit a minor snag."

Toshiro felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, "Why?" He managed in a hushed inquiry, his body now turned to face the cat woman.

"Ichigo is not currently in Hueco Mundo," Yoruichi gave the captain a cat-like grin, "He's in Karakura Town."

* * *

Rukia hated him like this.

Usually brash, headstrong but loyal, and the first to leap into a fray, many in the Rukongai referred to him as the "Stray Dog," and it wasn't a far from true statement. While she normally felt happy have his friendship, occasionally his personality strayed towards more of a puppy than dog; one of sincere worry and overbearing desire to protect her from the world's darkness...as if she couldn't take care of herself. And she hated this attitude most.

"How's your arm?"

In the cramped hospital room, Renji Abarai sat with his back leaning against the molding of its doorway, his arms crossed stiff against his chest and the rest of his body language just as seemingly uncomfortable. His brown eyes glanced down at the woman sitting on top of the infirmary beds. She had one arm limp on her lap, the other gently caressing it.

"Well," Rukia gave a slight stubborn frown, rubbing her wrist, "It could have been worse. Captain Unohana didn't have to do much to heal it." She gave him an irritated glance, seeing his eyes fill with concern, "Quit looking at me like that, Renji. It's not your fault, and I'm fine-"

"If it's completely healed," Renji walked towards her and knelt onto one knee, crouching so he could be at eye level with her, "Then why do you still handle it like it's made of glass?" His large hands shrowded the injured hand, as if insulating it. The warmth spread through Rukia's body at the touch, her cheeks flushing ever so slightly. Renji arched an eyebrow at her, wondering if she was catching a cold at the sight of her flushed cheeks.

"Stop," She growled, seeing him eye her face.

"What's wrong, Rukia?"

"I hate it," Her purple eyes met his surprised brown irises,

"What?"

"I hate men always doting on me like I'm completely helpless." She gave him a sideways glance, her voice quietly irritated, "It's insulting. Pathetic."

Renji looked at her in silence for a moment, before giving an impatient sigh, looking at the floor, "Rukia...," His voice sounded hesitant, which made Rukia all the more aggravated.

"Spit it out, Renji," She looked down at him with matching impatience.

The Lieutenant continued to stare at the floor, his voice steady, "I can't help be pathetic, Rukia," He let his dark eyes rise to meet hers, "If it's insulting to care about someone."

_Oh please, spare me, _The female Shinigami rolled her eyes, "I don't need your care," Rukia said in a low, quiet voice. "Nothing makes me madder than that ridiculously childish concerned look you and Ichigo constantly give me."

Renji's hand twitched at the mention of Ichigo, then squeezed Rukia's hand a little firmer, "I'm sorry, Rukia," He finally told her, his eyes looking away. "I thought..." He didn't know really what he wanted to say to her.

"What? That I couldn't handle myself?" Rukia glared at him, but it wasn't angry; more curious. "That I wouldn't be able to survive a fight against him?"

"No, that's not it," Renji looked up at the ceiling, irritated, and rubbing the back of his head.

Rukia stared at him; there was something he wasn't saying. _Why won't he just tell me what's going on? Renji..._ "Renji," She said softly, slowly realizing their faces were inches apart. She could feel his warm breath on her collar bone.

"I don't worry about your safety," He said suddenly, his voice strained; as if this was a secret he was being forced to share, "That's not it. I just...," Renji paused, and then his brow furrowed and he rose to his feet. "...forget it." He turned away from Rukia, who looked stunned.

"Wait. Renji," Rukia's mouth hung open, _What was he about to tell me? _"Renji!"

"I'm happy you're not hurt," Renji glanced to the side of the room, his eyes not meeting hers, "Rukia." He let a hand linger on the doorframe, before walking out of the infirmary room; leaving Rukia alone atop the bed.

The female Shinigami stared at the now empty spot where Renji had once stood. She couldn't be more confused. _What...just happened? _She felt an overwhelming feeling rise in her stomach; a churning of... _Guilt? No...not that... _

Renji walked down the hallway, his head pounding and Rukia's voice lingering in the forefront of his mind,

_"Wait. Renji. Renji!"_

The Lieutenant exhaled slowly, his eyes closing in frustration.

_Who am I kidding? _

* * *

"Wait," Toshiro raised a hand to his forehead, his face a startled mix of confusion and excitement, "Ichigo isn't in Hueco Mundo right now?"

"Good to see your hearing hasn't gone downhill," Yoruichi smirked, coming from the side of the couch like a cat cornering a mouse, "Yes, he's in the Real World," She flicked a strand of plum hair, "But the nature of his return is still unknown."

"I'm guessing you're having Urahara keep tabs on him?" Toshiro's teal eyes were sharp as he looked to the feline-like woman.

"He's trying to contact him as we speak," She stated simply. Captain Hitsugaya scratched his chin, his gaze directed towards the floor, before his eyes slowly rose to meet Yoruichi's. "I felt like telling you so you would be able to vouch for me when I leave to go there."

"What are _you _going to do?"

Yoruichi's smile was devilish, "_I _am going to the Real World to see why Ichigo has returned. We need to discover whether or not Ichigo knows about Karin's...situation," She phrased carefully. "It's the least we can do since Lyall's being taken care of-"

"I'm going with you," Toshiro cut in, his eyes gazing intently at her. The cat woman laughed,

"Oh? Any particular _reason _you're wanting to get involved?" Her golden eyes glanced playfully at Toshiro, and to her surprise he suddenly grabbed her by the collar of her Shinigami robes and drug her face downwards to meet him eye-to-eye.

"It's my fault she was taken," He said, the steady voice building in his throat, "It's my fault she's a Shinigami. It will be my fault," His voice faltered for a second, "if she dies." He spoke these last words like they were sacred; to utter them was worthy of eternal damnation. His eyes narrowed, the teal burning into Yoruichi's golden eyes. "I am going with you."

Yoruichi stared at him blankly for a moment, her gaze scanning over his determined features. Her grin slowly broadened, "I suppose you are."

* * *

The Kamaguchi mansion was surprisingly quiet, or so Shunsui Kyoraku noticed as he blew the steam off his cup of Black Chai tea. He imagined the illustrious aristocratic hallways would be bustling with staff members and servants eager to tend to the eldest Kamaguchi sibling, Layla and her whims._ Especially in spite of recent events..._Shunsui thought as he sipped the tea, sighing deeply. Yet since he had been sitting in the Kamaguchi "Green" room, he hadn't heard a soul outside or in. It was almost disturbing; a giant mansion with not a soul moving about.

Almost as if the Manor was listening in on this thoughts, a thick mahogany door opened with a dull moan and a servant agilely slipping in and bowing low to Shunsui; the servant's bun of brown hair flopping near the floor.

"Madame Kamaguchi sends her immediate apologies," The servant stated, nearly out of breath, "She realizes she has taken longer than expected with the suspect and hopes you can forgive her for her rudeness."

Shunsui chuckled lightly, which caused the servant to perk her head up in surprise. The Captain waved his free hand dismissively. "Nonsense, nonsense!" He smiled, "I am in no hurry today, and she is willing to take all the time necessary," His smile deepened and he gave the servant a sharp look, raising the delicate porcelain cup, "Granted there will be more tea for me."

The servant took the joke in with a bright red blush, and quickly nodded her head, "Oh! Of course, Captain! I shall go and put another kettle on for you." She turned on her heels and rushed out of the room; leaving Shunsui listening to the rushed pit-pats of her feet along the corridor.

The Eighth Division Captain smirked as he took another sip of tea, his eyes scanning the room; which was almost exclusively comprised of mahogany wood furniture and olive green accents. His mind drifted to the rumors about the Kamaguchis: their vast wealth, their ties to the Kido Corps, Layla's persistent refusal of marriage (until her recent engagement two nights ago), Lyall's power and mysterious nature, and of course Leta. The youngest Kamaguchi, Leta had the most controversy surrounding her among all the siblings.

_Hmmmm, _Shunsui entertained an idea slowly in his mind but after a second's thinking, and another sip of tea, let it pass. _Nevermind, _he thought with a bemusing smile, _It's probably nothing relevant. _

* * *

Iba crossed the corner into another hallway, his eyes shifting from door to door beneath his black sunglasses. _Alright, which one is Captain Komamura's room? Captain Unohana told me it was room 418...Let's see, _his eyes glanced at the numbers as he strode past, _409, 410, 411-_

"Ack! Hey!" Iba, not paying attention, ran straight into one of the workers in the hall, the figure bouncing backwards. "Oh, sorry," Iba gruffly called out to the figure, "I didn't mea-Oh," The Vice-Captain's eyes widened.

The worker wasn't a worker at all; it was Renji Abarai, who looked as startled to see Iba as Iba was to see him.

"Tetsuzaemon," Renji's face broke into a smirk, shaking the fellow Lieutenant's hand firmly, "I haven't seen you lately."

"There's good reason," Iba huffed, "I've been tied down in the Seventh Division for months doing odd jobs and training new recruits. I only came out here because of the scuffle a few nights ago." He paused, realizing, "You were there, at that Summit Hall dance...weren't you?"

Renji scratched the back of his head in an annoyed fashion; clearly unenthused to talk about it, "Yeah, I went with Rukia," His glare silenced any words Iba was about to utter, "It was a damn mess if I've ever seen one."

"That's what I've heard," Iba nodded, his eyes scanning the hospital rooms they were near. Nurses were bandaging wounds on people whom the Lieutenant didn't recognize. He could only assume they were aristocrats.

"Why are you here, Iba?" Renji cut in, sensing the silence grow stale between them.

"Oh, yes, follow me," Iba strode past the Lieutenant, counting the doors once more, "I was sent by Captain Unohana to find Captain Komamura's room; at Madame Kamaguchi's request. Though," Iba frowned, "she was pretty mysterious about specific details as to why."

_Of course she was. No one but the Nobles and those at the Summit Ball know that Karin is missing. It must have something to do with that, _Renji thought grimly as he walked alongside Iba. "That doesn't make sense. What use would Captain Komamura be for Layla? To protect her? I don't think that will work with the Captain being unconscious-"

Iba and Renji came to the door whose outside plaque read _418. _Tetsuzaemon Iba turned to grasp the doorknob, turning it as he looked inside. The massive, dog-like captain was resting on his back, his wolf head and arm the only thing visible coming from the white sheet over his body. A figure dressed in all black robes with a yellow sash tied around its waist had its back turned to the doorway. Iba glanced down and saw a glimpse of her slender hand slide from atop the Captain's furry fingers and back down to her side as he opened the door wide, Renji entering first. Leta Kamaguchi turned her head casually to look at the two,

"Lieutenant Renji Abarai...and Lieutenant Iba," She smiled cheerfully and wide, but Iba had known her long enough to tell it wasn't a true grin. Renji seemed to buy it, however.

"Leta," He said in a surprised voice. She looked good despite the recent battle she'd been in. Her Shinigami robes were freshly washed, and her hair that usually was in a messy updo was now smoothed waves that were tied into the form of a braid flowing like a snake down her back to the floor.

Iba cleared his throat, "Third Seat, Leta Kamaguchi, you have been requested by Madame Layla Kamaguchi to report to the Kamaguchi Noble Manor at once," His voice commanded like a soldier's, his back stiff and eyes staring straight ahead.

Renji rolled his eyes, _Come off it, Iba. You're not fooling anyone._

"I see," Leta turned, her braid swinging against the new sunlight that had burst into the room. It was nearly blinding, "Send a Hell Butterfly informing her I'm on my way. Renji," Leta glanced from Iba to the red-haired Lieutenant, "Would you care to join me?"

Renji was taken aback, "Uhm," _What? _"Y-Yes, of course."

"Thank you," Leta turned to Iba, her hazel eyes gleaming, "Would you please stay with the Captain for a little bit? At least until the nurse returns?"

Tetsuzaemon furrowed his brow, not happy at all she was ordering him around, but finally nodded, "Yes."

"Thank _you_," She gave him a quick, friendly kiss on the cheek, and then immediately departed the room with Renji bringing up the rear.

The Seventh Division Lieutenant gave a grunt of frustration and rubbed his cheek angrily. _That- That brat! She-why did she-_He felt the flesh of his face burning _-She did that just to annoy me! That witch..._He turned to glance at the still form of his Captain, listening to his steady breaths rise from the massive animal-like lungs, feeling a lump blocking the angry thoughts he had towards Leta in that instance. _Captain..._

Renji trailed behind Leta, who was moving at lightening rates down the corridor of the infirmary,

"So tell me again why I'm coming with you?" He called out to her, his voice laced with frustration. He felt like today had consisted of nothing but him being yanked all over the Soul Society.

"You, Lieutenant Nanao Ise, Lieutenant Rukia Kuchiki, Hanatarou Yamada, and the remaining Captains of the Gotei 13 are the only ones who know of Karin's absence." She stated matter-of-factly, "We're meeting Captain Shunsui Kyoraku and Captain Kuchiki at the Manor to interrogate my brother."

Renji nearly stopped in his tracks, "What?"

"Layla is with Lyall right now," her hazel eyes stared sternly ahead, "I know it. She was planning on an interrogation within the next few days, to figure out the entire story about the Council's negotiation with the Vasto Lordes. There has to be something else we're missing...for instance, _why _the Vasto Lordes are even after Ichigo Kurosaki." She blinked, "If there's any information that can help Karin now, Lyall's the one to tell us."

"Why not go straight to the source?" Renji huffed. Leta's eyes darted to his face angrily,

"Do you honestly think the Council is going to tell us anything?" She glared, "Besides, they don't need to know we're involved...at least not yet."

Renji let this information slowly sink in, their feet touching down onto the dirt as they exited the hospital, "So let me get this straight," He gave Leta a skeptical glance, "We don't want the council to know that we're searching for Karin...but we're going to use their inside man, Lyall, to tell us why she was taken," Renji's brown eyes narrowed, "And he's _not _going to just go and tell them our plan after he's told us whatever he knows, if that's even the truth?" None of this sounded feasible to the Lieutenant. He gave Leta a critical stare, to which she averted her eyes.

"It's not the best plan, certainly," Leta sighed heavily, "But it's the only one we have at the moment. In cases like these," Her eyes lingered towards Renji's face; he saw the distress growing in them, "Time is something we don't have a great abundance of."

_**So dear reader, **_

_**Toshiro and Yoruichi are going to the Real World!  
Renji and Leta are going to help Layla, Byakuya, and Shunsui interrogate Lyall!  
And what's happening with Ichigo and Karin as we speak? You'll find out next chapter! Thanks again for reading the story!  
I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**_

_**Have a great weekend, **_

_**Romania Black**_


	44. Here It Comes

Hmm, so...school. Literally, I'm reading 300 pages a week. It's time consuming. I'm finishing a reading assignment as you read this chapter. I apologize for taking longer than the usual week to update. I'll try to stay on time!

That said, I really love this chapter. It's one of my favorites now for a lot of reasons, but it does exactly what I want it to, so I hope you'll like it too! Plus it's super long, so that makes up for my late update also...right? *hopeful face*

Off topic: Have you read the latest manga chapter in Bleach? HOLY COW! Let's just say the last two chapters of Bleach have gave me the perfect amount of inspiration for Ichigo's character in this chapter! bwahaha!

On Topic:

You all are amazing readers and reviewers! Thank you so much for the amazing feedback and the great support for the story you've given! I hope I can live up to Kubo's standards and yours as well! _**THANK YOU!**_

**Special Thanks **to the following:

**Heatherbell, theloverofanime **(You ARE seeing Ichigo this chapter! The Vasto Lordes, or at least Sonido and Trigger [tee hee], are unaware that he's not in Hueco Mundo at this point. We'll find out more on Karin and her captors this chapter too! As for pairings...hmmm, so you're on to me huh? Well, last chapter did reveal some things about Leta certainly. As for Rukia/Ichigo/Renji...for Rukia and Ichigo I think it's undecided right now, but Renji DEFINITELY has feelings for Rukia. At least in this fic!) **Orion101 **(Thank you! To be honest, Hanatarou is one of my favorite Bleach characters! Weird, huh? He does NOT get enough screen time! To answer your question, He was Unohana's date because she asked him...that, and all the other Fourth squad members were too afraid of her to go with her.) **bleach-chan** (I'm so happy the Ichigo revalation was a good surprise for you! haha! Also, You'll see the whole interrogation take place next chapter! I hope you end up liking it! It's going to be fun to write.) **Stormcrowley **(Thank you so much for the review! Just seeing that you take the time to review is amazingly great and supportive. Many thanks!) **KKH913** (Why thank you! Hmmmm...as to your comment...You'll find out this chapter! bwahaha!) **Turtle-Chan in Blue **(I wish Las Noches was like Las Vegas! haha, it'd be more fun there. As to who we're bribing, I'm thinking you're talking about Lyall? You'll have to wait until next chapter to see him again.) **bloodyrose1294 **(Thanks! I hope you like this chapter!) and **Ann Kip **(Thanks! I'm excited to see how you all like the chapter!)

_**NOTE**_: There is SOME vulgar language AND...ADULT CONTENT in this chapter. Ye be warned it's T for Teen for a reason!

Carry on!

Romania Black

**Chapter Forty-Four**

**We seek Exhile  
Not to hide our shame  
but to Gain it back. **

Cold.

This was the first sensation Karin Kurosaki felt as she blinked her eyes open.

There was darkness surrounding her; only pale moonlight shining down and illuminating the frozen marble slab she was laying upon. _Marble?...Oh! _Karin jolted upright, her frantic eyes searching in a panicked state about the darkness around her. She started to look around the darkness, rotating her body on the stone bed, afraid to leave the comfort of the protective, yet revealing moonlight. _The hollow! The hollow knocked me unconscious and then-_

"Take it easy," A voice cooed from the darkness. Karin recognized it to be the female hollow's that kicked her, and slowly forced herself to stop moving and sit upright on the slab. "No big bad monster's going to harm you here," The voice snickered from the shadows.

"Too late," Karin growled, trying to figure out the source of the voice.

The hollow sighed, "Normally an insult like that would cost you a kick to your little face," There was a tiny pause, "But Sonido made me promise," Her voice was gritting, as if she didn't want to say it, "not to hurt you while he was gone."

_He's not here? _Karin's eyes widened. She had to fight the urge to laugh triumphantly, _If he's left, I just have to deal with her! She's tough, but I can just release Yakyuu and-_ Suddenly a horrific notion careened through her mind and Karin dropped her hand to her side, then her eyes followed and she gasped loudly.

Yakyuu was gone.

Her zanpakuto was no longer attached to her hip. In fact, she wasn't dressed in only her black body suit any longer; she was wearing a white pair of flaired pants similar to Sonido's and a white half shirt that was sleeved to her elbows. Luckily, the skin-tight body armor was still under these hollow clothes, but her sword...

"You!" Karin shouted angrily at the darkness in front of her, "Where's my sword?"

The female hollow laughed lightly, "You just figured that out, huh? Oh, that's rich..."

"Where," Karin yelled with more fierceness, "Is Yakyuu!"

"Will you just shut it, already?" From the shadows in front of Karin, the hollow's face leaned forward into the pale moonlight, the broken mask casting a shadow over the rest of her face. "It won't do you any good, you know," The hollow grinned evilly, "Your sword isn't here anymore."

"What did you say?" Karin frantically tried looking around the slab, desperate to find it. Then the gears in her mind clicked together, her voice a realizing groan, "_Sonido_-"

"Ahhh," The hollow nodded with a satisfying sigh, "You catch on fast. Yeah, Sonido decided you were a bit of a threat with that Shinigami sword on you, so he took it with him to hide it," She stated casually, resting her head in the palm of her pale hand. Karin decided the hollow must be sitting as she was. "Good thing too," Her eyes gleamed, "You might have escaped otherwise against little ol' me."

Karin's fists were clenched, "You...you witch. How dare you two..." She couldn't organize her thoughts to say anything else, her mind was so distraught and panicked.

"Hmmph," The hollow grunted in an amused fashion, "That's a title I haven't been give in a while." Her white teeth were like ivory, "I'm flattered."

_So that's it then,_ Karin thought dismally, _Yakyuu is gone, and I'm defenseless here. _If she was left out of the loop before, now she was just clueless and ignorant. _On top of that, I'm stuck with this witch of a hollow...Wait..._A fact from earlier suddenly flashed before Karin's mind, and she settled down on the slab, her hand scratching her chin, wondering if using the information she knew before her unconscious state would help her here. _I need to know some information about these two before I do anything else... _The hollow looked at her curiously as she thought to herself. _It was worth a shot_,

"That's odd to me," Karin finally muttered, causing the hollow to glance at her with a slight frown, "You like being called witch, but before...you said you hated _that _name. You know...the weird one-"

"Yes I know what you're talking about," The hollow snapped impatiently, her voice laced with anger, "And I told you not to-"

"It's just that," Karin cut her off, "I've heard hollow's have weird names like Konso and Sonido, but..." Karin was still hesitant to say the name; afraid it would cause her to receive another kick to the stomach.

"You idiot," The hollow growled, "How dare you call him that so casually! As if he's some ordinary hollow!"

This caught Karin off guard, "Huh?"

The hollow-girl sighed in agitation and leaned back into the darkness, now her pale legs sticking out into the moonlight. Karin's eyes had adjusted to the bleak shadows around them, and she could make out edges of the white mask,

"Sonido's not his real name, you fool," The hollow said softly, her voice drastically more mature than five seconds prior. Karin felt a chill escalate up her arms. "Are you that dumb to our language?"

"Well," Karin retorted hesitantly, with forced strain, "I've never been to the realm of the hollows before, so how would I-"

"Then shut your mouth and listen," The hollow-girl cut her off with a bite of her voice. "Sonido is a term used to describe the speed of a hollow. It's a synonym for the Shinigami term Shunpo."

_Like the Flash Steps Yoruichi uses? _Karin wondered to herself, as the hollow continued. "Then why is he called that? Is it a nickname?"

There was a pregnant pause, before the hollow replied, "Why the Hell should I tell you?" The childishness was back in her voice.

Karing groaned to herself, _Damn, she's back to normal...and no good information..._

"Now for the remainder of your stay in Las Noches, there will be some ground rules," The hollow stood up and basked in the moonlight, standing over Karin with an authoritative stance. "Made by me," She snickered maniacally.

"Las Noches?" Karin's eyes widened, glancing around her, "_This _is Las Noches?" It looked like a plain, moldy, darkened room to her; nothing like a palace. "I was expecting something...something..."

"Grander?" The deep voice rumbled through the room, causing both Karin and the female hollow to jump. The chiseled body of the Vasto Lordes appeared from the darkness, his mask ominously looking down at the young Shinigami. "This is but one room of our palace, but it reflects the atmosphere as a whole. Las Noches was once much more prestigous, but all that we once had is nearly turned to dust."

"You're in a talkative mood," the female hollow grumbled, clearly upset her chance to lay down the rules was ruined.

"Where is Yakyuu?" Karin demanded, her eyes narrowed angrily at the Vasto Lordes. Powerful or not, he was going to tell her where he'd hidden her weapon.

"I see it didn't take long for her to discover it was missing," Sonido observed coolly, his focus turned to his partner, who didn't smile in return.

"You knew it wouldn't," The hollow-girl frowned, unimpressed.

"Why did you steal Yakyuu?" Karin gritted her teeth, demanding an answer, "How is that fair in a fight?"

"In a fight, only fools play fair," Sonido breathed, his deep voice rattling inside the mask, "Is that what you take us for? Or did you think we'd let you walk around as our prisoner, armed and dangerous?"

Karin winced, realizing he was absolutely right. She was their enemy, and now perfectly defenseless. "So," In her heart, she dreaded asking the question, but anxiety and curiosity ovewhelmed her, "What are you going to do with me?"

"Yes," the hollow-girl smiled evilly and looked eagerly at her comrade, "What _are _we going to do with her now? We could string her up by her feet and-"

"No," The Vasto Lordes stopped his partner's words with a sharp reply, "Our plans have changed."

"Eh?" Both Karin and the hollow-girl looked equally surprised.

"We are leaving Las Noches immediately," Sonido said bluntly.

_Then we're...leaving? _Karin thought increduously.

"Are you kidding me?" The female hollow stomped her foot as she screamed, "We just treked three days to get here! We walked all this way here and I had to carry this brat half the way while you just complained that I had to do my share of the work load, and now you're telling me that we have to pack up and leave this palace to go somewhere else? Why in Hueco Mundo would you have me go to all the trouble of getting this brat here when we're about to-"

"Trigger," Sonido placed a hand on the hollow's mouth, silencing her despite her immediate disgust at the word. "There is no waste of time;. Las Noches was a stepping stone towards our destination," His dark blue eyes looked down at his partner's confused face, "...we're taking her to see The Elder."

* * *

"It's strange being back in Karakura Town," Toshiro Hitsugaya noted as he walked down the street adjacent to Karin's home, side by side Yoruichi, who had transformed into her black cat form.

"How so?" The cat's voice was deeper, much more a man's, which made it all the more difficult for Toshiro to adjust to, the voice constantly catching him off guard. Nevertheless, Toshiro sighed deeply, staring off into the distance ahead of them,

"It's...just strange not being able to sense...everyone," He stumbled finally. The cat Yoruichi gave a breath of a laugh,

"Ah, I understand," The cat's yellow eyes gleamed knowingly. Toshiro, slightly confused, thought this was honestly unnerving as the pink rose in the apples of his pale cheeks. The cat and captain stopped at the entrance of the Kurosaki Clinic, both looking straight up at the window they assumed was Ichigo's.

"Should we...go in through the window?" Toshiro crossed his arms at his chest, an eyebrow raised in pondering how they should enter the home.

"No," The cat's eyes were golden as they looked up toward the window, "Let's go straight from the ground floor. The youngest, Yuzu Kurosaki, should still be in class."

"Good point," Toshiro crossed through the glass doors and held it open so Yoruichi could follow. The glass door to the Kurosaki household shut with a soft 'clink' and Toshiro ruffled his hair with his slender hand, "The most obvious place he could be is his room, right?"

"You'd think that," both Yoruichi and Toshiro spun their heads to the right, the deep voice coming dead-pan from in front of them.

Isshin Kurosaki stood at the doorway leading to the living room, his thick arms crossed in front of his dark blue polo casually, leaning against the frame. His dark hair spiked straight into the air, he looked at Toshiro and Yoruichi with a very uncharacteristicly grim stare. Toshiro felt the breath freeze in his throat; the aura he was presenting was nothing like that of the jovial man he'd witnessed drunk at Ichigo's going-away celebration only a month prior.

"Isshin," Yoruichi bowed its cat head curtiously.

"I should have realized they'd notice sooner or later," Isshin grunted, his dark blue eyes trailing from Yoruichi to Toshiro, giving the young man an enraged stare. The Captain noticed they were the same color as Karin's, "The Council send you?"

"Actually, the Council knows nothing about this," Yoruichi said matter-of-factly.

"Heh," To Toshiro's surprise, Isshin's frown started to curve into a smirk, "That devil Urahara, huh?" He scratched his forehead out of irritation, "I swear that man keeps better tabs on my family than I do."

"I wouldn't say that," Yoruichi pit-pattered toward the tall man, Toshiro cautiously following behind her, wondering to himself whether Isshin knew about Karin or not. A chill running up his spine as Isshin glanced at him coldly told him he'd best not ask. "Is Ichigo here?" Yoruichi looked up at Isshin.

His smirk faded back into a frown, "Yeah, he's here in the living room." He motioned with his thumb to the room behind him, and Toshiro walked past him to see into the room. Toshiro's teal eyes widened.

The white couches in the living room were pushed back against the wall, one blocking a large poster of a woman with burnt orange wavy hair giving a "peace" sign to the cameraman, the background a field of multi-colored flowers. In the middle of the open space sat Ichigo, his shaggy bleached orange hair in his eyes, the back hanging down to the base of his neck. He wasn't wearing Shinigami robes, instead a white t-shirt and jeans, so Toshiro assumed he was in a gigai. Sitting beside him in the floor was the first surprise: Orihime Inoue, in a pink flowy skirt and pink tank top, her long dark orange hair in a low ponytail draping down her back. Her hands were raised as if she was warming them next to a fire, and that was when Toshiro saw the second surprising sight.

Positioned directly in front of Ichigo and Orihime was a small child with teal wavy hair and a white, cracked Hollow mask perched on top of her head, surrounded by a glowing orange light. Her large hazel eyes looked past Ichigo and Orihime and saw Toshiro and Yoruichi.

"Look, Itsigo! We have guests! One of them's a cat too!"

Ichigo and Orihime both simultaneously turned their heads to look; their eyes growing larger at the sight of the two.

"Miss Yoruichi!" Orihime cried out in surprise, her face breaking into a large, nervous grin.

"Toshiro," Ichigo said calmly, his dark brown eyes focused on the Captain as he nodded his head curtly.

_Still refuses to acknowledge me as Captain, _Toshiro sighed in an agitated fashion.

"Sorry for the intrusion," Yoruichi said with a gentleman's voice, "but we were informed you'd returned to the Real World, Ichigo, and felt we needed to make a personal visit."

"I could understand you being here, seeing as I got this Gigai from Urahara," Ichigo said casually, his eyes lingering on Toshiro, "But why did he come as well?"

"Did the Soul Society send him?" Orihime asked curiously.

"Hardly," Yoruichi replied, eyeing Toshiro with a _Say-nothing-yet _expression. "I would question why _you're _back here first, Ichigo," The cat's eyes narrowed on the Shinigami Substitute, "You had been in Hueco Mundo only a month, correct?"

The Shinigami's eyes narrowed slightly, "I was, but there's been some weird activity there lately," Ichigo said with his fist pressed pensively against his chin, "Activity that was really bothering Nel." He motioned to the small hollow-girl in the floor beside him.

"Really?" Yoruichi and Toshiro glanced briefly at each other. _The Vasto Lordes, _they both thought grimly.

"Yeah," Ichigo stretched his arms over his head; as Orihime gave him a curious look, "Nel said there were some books that I needed to see that could explain it," He glanced at the girl with the teal hair, "But she couldn't access them while we were in Hueco Mundo, as she is now anyway."

"As she is now?" Toshiro blurted out, glaring at Ichigo, "What does that mean? Why can't she show you this information?"

"Cuz, silly," Nel, the Arrancar smiled a toothy grin, "Nel can't read!"

Toshiro stared blankly at the Arrancar, his voice incredulous. "What?"

"Nel's form diminishes into this child-state when her reitsu depletes," Ichigo explained, looking fondly at Nel. "Apparently she loses some of her adult intellectual abilities as well," He smiled faintly.

"But when Nel's big, she can read!" The Arrancar nodded her head through the orange light around her.

"Her mask was cracked by the Espada Nnoitra a long time ago," Ichigo continued, "I hadn't thought of her needing her older form again, since she was happy as she is, but considering we need this information..." His voice trailed off for a moment.

Yoruichi's cat eyes widened slightly, "So you're-"

"Orihime is going to restore her mask to what it once was," Ichigo commented quietly, his face illuminated by the orange light of her shield. "Then Nel and I will return to Hueco Mundo."

The two Shinigami stared at Ichigo and Orihime with equally bewildered, silent expressions. Isshin sighed heavily in the background,

"Here it comes," The former Shinigami smirked.

"You-You're going to restore her mask?" Toshiro stared with his mouth open slightly, "Is that even possible? She's an Arrancar, right? Isn't that a bit...ludicrous?" His voice ended on a high note.

"Beyond that," Yoruichi added, her cat voice calm, "Once you return to Hueco Mundo, Ichigo, what are you hoping to do with this information?"

"I'm not sure," Ichigo replied dully, "But I figured there was no point staying there with her all confused and bothered if there was no way for me to know why."

Nel nodded her head, her childish voice a high squeak, "It feels weird and dark there!" She saw Toshiro's unimpressed frown deepen, causing her to add, "Weirder and darker than usual!"

The diminuitive captain sighed, "I don't understand any of this," His hand palmed his forehead.

"Ichigo," The black cat mused slowly, her voice a deep drawl. Toshiro perked his head up; the sound of her voice indicated where the conversation was heading. "Captain Hitsugaya and I didn't just come here to probe your absence from Hueco Mundo."

_Here it comes, _Toshiro gritted his teeth, the fists his hands were balled into were clenched at his side.

"Oh?" Ichigo looked interested, Orihime's head turned to them as well, "Why else did you come?"

"There has been a disturbance within the Soul Society," Yoruichi was obviously choosing her words carefully. "This will sound disturbing, but please remain calm."

Orihime open eyes towards Ichigo, Nel's eyes misting a little as she did the same. Ichigo stared hard at the cat, "Go on. What happened?"

"Against the Soul Society's defenses, a Vasto Lordes breached the divide and entered the Sereitei."

There was a breath of pause. Orihime's eyes widened considerably, while Ichigo continued to stare silently at Yoruichi. It was both Nel and Isshin who broke the silence first.

"Vasto Lordes?" Isshin yelled in outrage, "What on earth are you saying, Shihoin? A Vasto Lordes break into the Soul Society, that's insanely unlikely! What are the circumstances for why-"

"V-V-V-Vasto Lordes?" Nel quaked, her voice stuttering wildly as she raised her hands to her head in terror, "B-b-but dat's impossible! It-It couldn't be-"

"-it was there?" Isshin's voice was simultaneously drowning out Nel's as hers did the same, "What aren't you telling us?"

"Waaaahhh! Itsigo!" Nel's misty eyes burst into large fat tears rolling down her cheeks, "Dis must be what those books talk about! That weird Activity-It had to have been one! Itsigo-"

"_SILENCE_!" Toshiro yelled loud enough that the walls of the Kurosaki clinic seemed to shudder. There was instantly a tense silence shrouding the room.

Orihime had her hand pressed against her upper lip as she quietly turned to the Substitute Shinigami beside her, "Ichigo?"

Ichigo gave Nel a soft look, his eyes very parental, "Nel," He said gently, "You think that activity we were feeling was a Vasto Lordes?"

The little Arrancar nodded feverishly, "Nel's sure of it now! It makes sense, Itsigo! I didn't think it was possible before because usually the Vasto Lordes are recluses, 'specially after Aizen was in Hueco Mundo."

Ichigo turned to his father, "I'd like to know the answer to dad's question, though," He eyed the black cat, "Why would a Vasto Lordes go to the Soul Society?"

Toshiro's knuckles were white from his fists being gripped so hard. He looked nervously to Yoruichi, who sighed softly, clearly dreading this part of the exposition.

"Ichigo," Yoruichi sighed.

"Out with it," The Substitute Shinigami glared coldly.

"How long have you been home?"

This clearly caught Ichigo off-guard, "What? Oh, uhm, since last night."

"And have you seen your sisters today?" Yoruichi prodded carefully.

"No," Ichigo's eyes narrowed in frustration. His expression plainly showed his view that this conversation was pointless, "I went to bed immediately; then this morning Nel and I went to Orihime's. Why? How is this relevant?"

"Let me try and explain more directly," Yoruichi sniffed the air with her cat nose, "Can you please tell me where your sister's spirit energies are now?"

Ichigo gave the cat a _are-you-serious?_ look. "Fine," He replied eventually and closed his eyes, as if concentrating, "Yuzu's easy; she's at the Karakura District Junior High School. And Karin-" He stopped mid-sentence, and suddenly closed his eyes shut tighter. There was a pregnant pause. Orihime and Nel were watching Ichigo intently, as Toshiro and Yoruichi gave each other another hesitant glance. Isshin silently watched the scene unfold.

Ichigo's eyes finally snapped open, his expression dumbfounded, "I...I can't sense her."

Yoruichi hung her head; Toshiro's fists were shaking. Orihime gave Ichigo a concerned look, "What do you mean?"

"Just that," Ichigo looked to the girl beside him, his face confused, "I can't sense her spiritual pressure at all...it's like there's a wall-" He suddenly caught his words in his throat and shot a furious look to Yoruichi, his hazel eyes wide in realization. "-Yoruichi," His voice was calm, but there was an ice to it that made goosebumps form on Toshiro's forearms, "Why did you ask me about Karin?"

"She's not here, Ichigo," Isshin broke into the conversation so bluntly and out of the blue that Toshiro nearly fell over in surprise. "Not in Karakura Town that is."

The trio sitting on the floor stared at the retired Shinigami. Yoruichi had her eyes closed in utter embarassment, as Toshiro came to a horrific conclusion. _He knows. He knows Karin's gone. _He could have cursed himself for not realizing it, _He knew when Ichigo became a Shinigami, so that means when Karin-_And the reason for Isshin's cold looks earlier made perfect sense. _He knows it's my fault that she's a Shinigami-_

"What did you just say, dad?" Ichigo had risen to his feet, his hands straight at his side. Orihime popped up beside him, the orange shield still surrounding Nel.

"I was going to tell you after Nel was healed," Isshin shut his eyes in frustration, "But then Yoruichi and him showed up," Another icy glance at Hitsugaya, "and I figured I'd let things play by ear...but there's no use in that now. We're just wasting time."

"Ichigo," Toshiro said calmly, to Isshin and Yoruichi's surprise.

"Captain, it would be best if you-" The black cat interjected, but Toshiro cut her off,

"No, Yoruichi, I need to be the one to say this." Yoruichi saw the shame reflecting in his eyes but a sudden resolve glowing as well, and nodded her soft head slowly, backing away from him to sit beside Orihime on the floor opposite Nel.

"I'm tired of this waiting game," Ichigo growled.

"Sorry," Toshiro smiled a ghost of a grin, that quickly fell to a frown, "Ichigo, while you were gone," His throat was hesitant, but he managed to say the words, "Lieutenant Momo Hinamori and I were here in Karakura tracking down the remains of an Arrancar that had arrived the day you left." He let Ichigo nod before continuing, "The day Vice Captain Hinamori and I were scouting the area, the Arrancar and another ambushed us. I managed to destroy one, but the other left unscathed." Toshiro knew this part would be the hardest to say, so he took a breath.

"What does this have to do with Karin?" Ichigo's eyes were narrowed in agitation. He looked to his father for more explanation, but the old man was focused entirely on Toshiro.

"That day, the one Arrancar ambushed myself while I was in the company of your sister, Karin."

In one instant, Ichigo's attention was completely controlled by Hitsugaya; his hazel eyes were alert and staring at the Captain as if seeing him for the first time. Toshiro continued quickly before he could speak,

"I sent Karin off with Hinamori before she was injured severely, but-"

"Severely? You mean she was hurt?" Ichigo questioned incredulously.

"Let me continue!" The impatience drawing out in Toshiro's voice was now laced with anger and anxiety, "I killed the Arrancar that attacked the two of them but because of my negligence, before I could get there, your sister was placed in the line of fire-"

Ichigo's eyes were fire, "What in Hell are you saying-"

"-so to save her life, Lieutenant Momo Hinamori struck your sister with a zanpakuto and gave her the power of the Shinigami!" Toshiro yelled in a breath.

A pin could have been dropped onto the floor and would have been heard by all. Yoruichi sighed with sadness, looking towards Nel, who was staring befuddled at the scene. Orihime had rose to her feet and was now wrapping her arm around Ichigo's. At first the gesture seemed to be out of sympathy, but upon second glance, it was clear that Orihime was grabbing Ichigo's arm to keep him from punching Toshiro.

"Y-you," Ichigo said in a delirium, "You're telling me that Karin-that my little _sister_-"

"She's a Shinigami now," Toshiro finally replied, his eyes looking away.

"You _BASTARD!" _Ichigo roared and lunged for the Captain.

In that moment, three things happened: Isshin jumped in front of Toshiro, Orihime gripped Ichigo's arm in an attempt to hold him back, and Yoruichi jumped up in a flash to face Ichigo. A large puff of smoke enveloped the group, and Ichigo rammed straight into the naked body of Yoruichi in her human form.

"ACK!" Ichigo cried out in shock and ricocheted backwards, a spout of blood spurting from his nose as he cracked his head on the outer edge of Orihime's shield surrounding Nel. He crumpled to the ground as Orihime crouched beside him, straightening him forward.

Nel pushed her hands against her chubby cheeks, "Oh no! Itsigo! It's a good thing dat shield was up, otherwise you'd of crashed into Nel!"

Ichigo slowly cricked his neck to look at the small Arrancar, his voice weakened, "Y-y-yeah, good thing..."

Toshiro's face was a brilliant shade of crimson, forcing his eyes to look away from the scene.

"Dammit," Ichigo glanced up to Yoruichi, then quickly darted his eyes from the cat-woman, "I should've known you'd pull some cheap-ass move-"

Yoruichi placed her dark hands on her hips, a large grin sprouting on her face, "You never cease to amaze me, Ichigo," Her honey voice cooed, as she glanced behind her shoulder, "Sorry, Isshin. I hope you don't mind me vulgarly transforming here, but I decided it'd be the best way to stop the conflict."

"Oh no, no," Isshin waved his hand with eager dismissiveness, "I'm just glad you were thinking on your toes-err, paws, heh heh."

Toshiro wasn't fooled though as he noticed the former Shinigami's cheeks flush pink. _I'm sure that's not all you're glad about, _He thought angrily, before noticing that Ichigo was looking right at him.

His teal eyes narrowed, "I'm sorry, Ichigo." He finally spoke, causing Isshin to stop chuckling, and Yoruichi to drop her grin.

Another pause, and Ichigo scratched his head, his eyes shut as if thinking. After a couple of minutes, the Substitute Shinigami spoke, "I'm still pissed at you Toshiro. And you dad," He opened his eyes to stare at Isshin, "for not telling me about this when it happened. But," His eyes lingered on Orihime, then Yoruichi and quickly flashed back to Toshiro, "What can I do about it now?"

"Remain pissed at me?" Toshiro offered with a subtle smirk, attempting to lighten the mood.

It apparently worked, because Ichigo's face broke into a dark smile, "You'd better believe I'm going to be."

"I hate to ruin this moment of reconciliation," Yoruichi sighed, brushing a lock of purple hair from her face, "But Karin's new Shinigami status isn't the worst of our problems. Ichigo," She turned to give him a sharp stare, "You will not like hearing this next part."

Ichigo's smile instantly faded, "What is it?"

"It's a long story, but basically," Toshiro paused, "Karin's no longer in the Soul Society," Toshiro stated gravely.

It didn't take a second for Ichigo to put two and two together. "You're _kidding _me..." He growled, his hands balled into enraged fists at his side. "This Vasto Lordes took her? _Why_?"

"That's what we're going to figure out," Yoruichi said congenially, "Given you'll aid us in finding her."

"You're damn right I will!" Ichigo slammed his fist against his other open palm.

Isshin nodded, "I'll keep things in order here. Orihime, will you help me? I'm sure I can get Ryuken's son to help us maintain order in Karakura Town."

She nodded, "Uryu can help too!"

"First thing's first," Ichigo's eyes were blazing as he looked at Toshiro, "I need to go to Urahara's Shoten and give this Gigai back. Also-"

"_ME!"_

There was a large ripping noise as a flash of pink smoke exploded into the room again, and Orihime's orange shield shattered into thousands of transparent shards that evaporated into the air. Yoruichi jumped back in a flash, grabbing Orihime to get her out of harm's way. Isshin and Toshiro had backed up as well. Ichigo, unfortunately, didn't react in time. Nel, her body elongated, filled out, and returned to her former adult state, had knocked Ichigo to the ground as she burst from Orihime's healing shield.

"Don't forget me, Ichigo!" Her higher-pitched voice was soft but firm, fists raised high in determination. She suddenly blinked and looked around her, "Oh! Where did Ichigo go?"

Nel had been wearing a long green burlap sack of a dress up until her reversion back to her normal form. The sack dress, however, did not stretch like Nel had and instead had ripped in half; with the lower portion positioned snugly on her hips and the top tightly wrapping around her large chest.

Orihime's cheeks were flushed, as she pointed to Nel's feet, "Uhm, he's down there."

Ichigo was lying on his back directly below and in between Nel's legs.

He closed his hand quickly over his nose, which was streaming blood, "N-Nel, please get off of me..."

"But I'm not on you Ichigo!" Nel smiled, then stepped aside to appease him, "Silly!"

Toshiro sighed, his head in his palms, "Why has today been so difficult?"

Yoruichi gave Isshin a sly look, "Things just became more interesting, wouldn't you say?"

"I've never had this many nude women in my house," Isshin smirked as he rubbed his chin.

"Dad!" Ichigo snapped through his covered mouth and nose.

Orihime looked from Yoruichi to Nel, and then around the room in general, "You know, I wonder where-"

"Will all of you just _shut up_?"

A voice called from the stairwell, and the entire group turned to see a small stuffed animal walking in frustration down the wooden stairs. "Geez! It's like I can't sleep for two minutes without someone yelling and carrying on about something ridicul-"

Kon, the mod-soul inhabiting the body of a stuffed yellow lion doll froze at the foot of the stairs and looked blankly at the group, his eyes slowly scanning each one.

_Ichigo. _

_Isshin._

_A Shinigami I don't know._

_And-_

His black bead eyes froze.

_Orihime...s-sandwiched between t-t-two near-to-full-on...n-n-n-naked.._

"NEEEEEEEE-SAAAAAAANNNNN!" The doll burst into the air towards Yoruichi and Nel, "Please let me be a mascot in your delicious garden of exotic-"

In one swift motion Yoruichi kicked the stuffed animal to the ground, Kon's face buried facedown beneath her foot.

Nel raised a fist timidly to her lips, her eyes glancing over the other members of the group.

"What's his problem?"

_**Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up! I hope you liked it!**_

_**Anyway, next chapter, Interrogation time with Byakuya, Leta, Layla, Renji, and Lyall! **_

_**I'll try to have it done soon!**_

_**Cheers,**_

_**Romania Black**_


	45. Interrogating the Truth

Hey! So school has lightened this week reading wise, and hopefully will stay that way! A couple notes before we begin:

1. I've added a LOT of new fanart to my Deviant Art page, so visit the website and check them out! I have an account under "Romania Black" too, so finding me should be easy. I hope to have more art for this story up soon.

2. This chapter took a long for me to figure out and write, but that's because there's not a...lot...of information packed in the chapter, but there is a LOT of dialogue. And there are three things you'll discover this chapter that are key to the rest of the ENTIRE story! So while it may seem boring (hopefully it's not!) the information in this chapter is extremely relevant.

and finally:

3. Many thanks to you the readers for being so great in your reviews! _**Special Thanks **_to the following: **kurobunnyalice, HitsuKarinFan, totaldramaemma **(Like TotalActionDrama the tv show?), **Eye of a Hawk, T.H.E.S.R. **(haha, I'm glad you liked how Ichigo discovered the "truth", and yes, Kon is Kon...there's no denying it! Oh man, I do like your scenario for Ichigo kidnapping her! That would have been cool! Maybe you could do an alternate reality piece about it...hmmm...that's such a cool concept though. And yes, when Karin gets older...hopefully before this fic ends bwahahaha...she'll have some romance, but for now she has enough to worry about. Thanks for the review!), **KarinKurosakiHitsugaya913 **(Oh no worries, Karin has a LOT of fight in her, even without her zanpakuto! As for Kon, I originally wasn't going to have him in the chapter, but then realized "wait, where WOULD Kon be right now? We ARE in Ichigo's house!" haha, I also thought it'd be humorous to add him in there. I'm glad you thought the same!), **bloodyrose1294 **(Ichigo is still pretty miffed about Hitsugaya and his dad not telling him the truth, so he'll likely react pretty bad towards them once Karin is safe and sound, but for now, he's focused on saving his sister! As for why they want Karin, we'll find out in the next couple of chapters, so hold on!), **stormcrowley **(I'm hoping that you're joking about the explosions, but I agree, Ichigo could have reacted more...he's just in protect-save-protect mode, so him being angry will have to wait. Ah, and YES, Nel is back! To explain what happened with her and her mask. Her mask holds in a lot of her reitsu, and when it cracked, she went into "child mode" to conserve herself and also to not die. More will become explained in later chapters about the mask, no worries, but for now she's back into her normal self! Yay! And she has her adult intelligence back, so we'll see where that takes us. As for the Vasto Lordes, they definitely figured it'd make Ichigo mad. More about that to come.) and **Garnet Asian-Angel **(Yay! you asked about the Elder! I'm really excited for you to meet...it. That's all I can say for now! Geez, with all these reviews I'm being so mysterious! bwahaha, as for Kon and Isshin, you gotta love them!)

Thanks so much for the reviews! Your questions are awesome, and will be answered in the next couple of chapters. In the meantime,

Enjoy the story!

Romania Black

**Chapter Forty-Five **

**Beat these lies from me  
Before I beat you with the truth**

Renji Abarai had never been in the Kamaguchi Manor, but had heard of its splendors. _Good to know every once and a while the rumors are true, _he thought as Leta led him through the corridors of the mansion, his eyes trailing across the paneling, rugs, and decorative vases and art surrounding them.

"Like what you see?" Leta turned, offering to him in a flirty voice, her crocodile smile gleaming against the unfiltered sunlight that was streaming in through the windows in the hall.

Renji's mouth cupped into a small frown, "It's amazingly well-decorated," His eyes lingered on some of the artwork on the paneling. "But to be honest, it only reminds me of my past in the Rukongai," He paused, "We didn't exactly have a set up like this." _We didn't really have a set up at all actually..._

Leta's smile faded, "I see. Well, I can honestly tell you I wasn't part of the decorating committee," He smile returned with a laugh, "But I can't say I understand how you feel."

"It's alright," Renji sighed, realizing she, of course, wouldn't, "Just where are we going-?"

"The Red Room," Leta bounced ahead of him, landing next to a large dark cherry oak door, "All our rooms are named after the color they're decorated in," She rolled her eyes, "Our mother was a stickler for things like that."

Renji cocked his head to the side, curious, as Leta opened the door and ushered him in, "And just who is in here-" He looked ahead and his eyes widened, "Oh. Captain!"

Captain Byakuya Kuchiki stood in front of him, behind a large red velvet armchair. Leta had been correct; everything in this room was in some way red or a shade close to it. Even the wood in the room had a red hue. Renji raised his hand and touched his crimson hair, feeling for the first time as if it wasn't out of place with the world.

"Hello, Captain Kuchiki," Leta grinned, nodding her head curtly.

"I see you brought my Lieutenant into this," Byakuya's voice was as smooth as silk, but ever icy.

Leta's grin turned sly, slightly annoyed that the captain hadn't greeted her properly, "He's more in the loop than you are, _Captain _Kuchiki."

"Captain," Renji finally managed to speak, "If I can be so bold, I didn't expect you to help solve Karin's disappearance." His brown eyes looked sincerely towards the captain, "I'm grateful you are though."

The captain's eyes turned instantly cold, and Renji gulped with the realization that perhaps he'd spoken out of turn.

"When were you under the impression that I volunteered to be a part of this interrogation?" Byakuya Kuchiki stood with his arms crossed diligently at his chest, his purple eyes flashing over his subordinate, who looked puzzled at the Captain.

"Captain, I just-," Renji was trying to locate the words to answer him, but Leta already seemed well equipped vocally,

"I informed him of your cooperation with my elder sister," Her hazel eyes dancing in the sunlight pouring into the room, "And he assumed it was fully voluntary on your part." Her eyes lingered playfully on the taller captain, "Was it not?"

Byakuya sneered, "Don't toy with me, _Madame _Kamaguchi." He spun in his step and elegantly marched towards the exit of the door, "I assume you've not contacted either her or Captain Kyoraku, correct?"

"She's notified me," Shunsui Kyoraku moved from outside the doorway into the room, scratching his shadowed chin. He tipped his head to Byakuya and Renji, then dipped his upper body low to bow at Leta, grasping her hand in his. He pecked the top of her hand and eyed her with glinting irises, "Madame."

Leta withdrew her hand, smiling serenely, "Thank you for coming, Captain." Her eyes traveled to the other captain, "My sister should be in the Tangerine Room," her smile broadened, almost out of habit, "It'd be best if we hurry there to start this interrogation." _We haven't the time to fiddle around while Karin is out there..._She stopped her thoughts and left the Red Room.

The Tangerine Room was directly down the hall, located at the end of the other rooms, next to one titled 'The Onyx Room.'

"Why not the Black Room?" Renji asked Leta, his eyes curiosly glancing at the black oak door.

"Colors like red, white, green; those all suited room names according to our mother," Leta said without looking at the Lieutenant or the black door, "But she thought orange was too tacky a name, and black too gloomy, so she named them Tangerine and Onyx."

"I can't imagine anyone wanting to stay in the Onyx one," Renji frowned.

"Oh, it's not for any guest to stay in," Leta rebutted, her face showing the barest ghost of a grin, "It's Layla's room."

"What? Really? I can't imagine-" Renji started with a raised eyebrow, but his sentence was cut off by the door of the Tangerine Room opening.

The four looked as Layla Kamaguchi slowly walked out of the doorway, her long dark green hair in a braid similar to Leta's. Her silvery eyes looked weary, as if she hadn't slept in the last three days. She gave a glance to the three men, then down to her sisters, shutting the orange maple door behind her.

"Well?" Leta crossed her arms at her stomach, looking up at her sister.

"Just as much of a tangle of information as at the Summit Hall," Layla sighed, wiping her brow with her delicate, pale hand. "It's all vital, but nothing we haven't heard."

"Do you think he's hiding something?" Leta frowned.

"Certainly," Layla said with a disheartened voice, "Either that, or the Kido Corps and Council are witholding information from him."

"That seems unlikely, Madame Layla," Shunsui cut in, a smile slapped onto his face, "Captain Lyall Kamaguchi not know something within his own organization?"

"It seems irrational," Layla's voice was hesitant, "But with all that's happened," She ran a hand along the top of her head, "I cannot say it would be a shocking revelation."

There was a moment of pause between them, as if all were contemplating what to do next, before Byakuya finally raised his voice, "Let me discuss matters with him myself."

All eyes immediately drew to him, Shunsui's wideneed in bewilderment. Leta and Renji glanced at each other wordlessly. "Uhm, Captain," Renji started in a stammer, "I'm not sure that's a good-"

"You'll interrogate Lyall?" Layla's voice carried a hint of both shock and amusement, eyeing the captain with apprehension. "Alone?"

"Not to worry, Madame Kamaguchi, I think I'll join Captain Kuchiki," Shunsui politely answered. "I'd hate to tell Nanao I took off duties as Captain today for nothing."

"Very well; I believe I'd better return with you two," Layla smiled at Byakuya, the amusement in her voice turning to endearment, "To make sure he cooperates. Leta," Her eyes glanced down at her sister, "Perhaps you and Lieutenant Abarai should stay out here as back up. If we have too many in the room at once, Lyall may be less inclined to discuss anything." Her voice carried the sincerity of a request, but the firmness of an order.

"That would be a wise decision," Byakuya glanced to Layla, his eyes gleaming in an almost triumphant fashion; one that made Leta grit her teeth in frustration at his sudden control of power over her through Layla.

"You have quite a temper when questioning others," Leta addressed Byakuya, her eyebrow raised significantly, "Why should we let you go in with our only brother to question him?"

Byakuya was now glaring down at Leta, his purple eyes steel, "As of the moment," His eyes flickered to Layla, then back down to her sister, "Lyall Kamaguchi is my brother as well."

"Oh, that's right!" Shunsui laughed out loud, as if suddenly catching on, "You two are engaged." He smiled at Layla, ignoring the vicious stare Byakuya had just shot him.

"If you hurt him, expect the same returned," Leta snapped quietly, her biting voice bringing Captain Kuchiki's eyes back to her, "future Brother-in-law or not."

Layla was about to object to Leta's statement, but Byakuya stopped her with a slow nod of his head, walking forward to the doorway, "Do not worry, I shall leave him in one piece." The door shut with a creek, as Shunsui Kyoraku and Layla Kamaguchi trailing behind him inside.

Leta groaned in frustration and slid down onto the floor, her back against the corridor wall. Renji sat down joining her, trying not to smile; she seemed like such a child when she was upset.

"What a waste of time," Leta glanced at the ceiling, irritated, "I put together this entire interrogation, and in the end, _I'm _the one who doesn't even get to be a part of it. What irony!" She shook her head angrily.

Renji stared down at her with a sympathetic smile, "If it makes you feel better, I'm no longer in the loop either."

Leta gave him a warm smile, but Renji could tell it was for show. "It's just...we're the ones that care about Karin the most," She closed her eyes with a furrowed brow, "Yet we're the ones that are the least of help...I _hate _feeling this helpless."

The Lieutenant looked at her in silence for a moment, then placed a hand on her head, _Feeling helpless... _"I hate it too."

It was a sensation he was well acquainted with.

* * *

Byakuya, Layla, and Shunsui stood side by side; Shunsui looking mildly amused, Layla no longer appearing amused, and Byakuya looking thoroughly peeved. The figure in front of them sat in a burnt orange velvet armchair, sitting behind a large lightly grained desk, the wood having faint traces of tangerine color through it. He bore a dark blue jacket with an upturned collar and black slacks, looking less regal than usual, but still elegant despite his prison attire.

"Oho," Lyall Kamaguchi smirked from behind the hardwood desk, his face resting in the crook of his palm, "So the calvary has finally arrived," his eyes gleamed evilly, "Will this be like the Real World police interrogations? Who's going to be the bad cop?"

Layla's hand came across his face so hard that it was knocked from his palm and twisted to the left. Byakuya and Shunsui stiffened uncomfortably, as Layla placed a hand on her hip, sneering down at her brother.

"You'd do well to silence that worm of a mouth," She stated coolly, her eyes vicious. "Know your place, Lyall Kamaguchi."

Shunsui leaned toward Byakuya and whispered into his ear, "I see why you're marrying her now."

Byakuya didn't give him any reply, but eyed him with an angry raised eyebrow. He apparently did not approve of commentary on his forced relationship.

"I suppose you'll be the bad cop then," Lyall rubbed his right cheek, giving his sister a slightly agitated look out of the corner of his eye.

"I will be no such thing," Layla had calmed down, breathing deeply and slowly, and turning from her brother. "It was simply shameful that you treat our guests with such disgusting ingenuine filth spewing from your mouth."

"Point well taken," Lyall adjusted in his seat, leaning back, "But isn't it shameful of you, sister? To bring in reinforcements to interrogate me? Just because you couldn't get the job don-"

"Enough," It was Byakuya's turn to assault Lyall, only this time he had gripped the Kido Captain by the collar of his shirt and hoisted him out of the velvet armchair. "Enough games, Kamaguchi. You will not insult her."

"Who left it to you to tell me what I can and cannot say to my sister?" Lyall leered at the captain.

"The duty was left to me the moment I agreed to marry her," Byakuya leered back just as menacingly.

There was an air of silence, before Lyall turned to sneer at his sister, whose back was turned to him. "You asked him to marry you _again_?" Lyall's voice was full of disgust.

"I think we're getting off topic," Shunsui placed a hand on Byakuya's wrist, "I'd appreciate it if you'd lower Captain Kamaguchi, Captain Byakuya-San. I'm sure he'd be more inclined to cooperate if you did," Shunsui gave a glance to Lyall, and the Kido Captain was sure he winked at him.

Byakuya slowly lowered Lyall back into his seat. Lyall quickly brushed off his shoulders and the front of his jacket, "Thank you, Captain Kyoraku, for being so reasonable." He huffed quietly. "So _two _bad cops, huh?" He murmured mostly to himself.

"Lyall," Layla turned to face him, her gray eyes softer than before; back to their normal appearance, "You must tell us what you're holding back. I know from when we talked there was something you wanted to say, but couldn't. You must tell them now."

"Or what, sister?" Lyall's eyes widened incredulously, "You'll have your fiance' and Captain-friend man-handle me? No thank you, sister. I've told you all I know."

"You told us that Karin was taken by the Vasto Lordes," Shunsui began, obviously trying to worm out information, "And that it was because the Vasto Lordes are trying to lure Ichigo to their cause for some reason," He glanced at Lyall, hoping he'd elaborate.

"I have no idea why they want Ichigo," Lyall sighed in a bored fashion, "The Council negotiated with the Vasto Lordes because it threatened to attack the Soul Society if they didn't."

"To think they didn't trust us to handle such a creature," Byakuya murmured under his breath, but Shunsui continued,

"So there were more than one Vasto Lordes involved?" He asked, a question that seemed to come out of the blue to Lyall. Layla glanced nervously towards the captain.

"What?" Lyall asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You said the Vasto Lordes negotiated with the Soul Society, but surely you're not referring to the one that took Karin?" Shunsui's eyes glistened, "That Vasto Lordes did not seem to want to ask anything of anyone. It appeared," he paced in front of Lyall's desk, "As if it was merely acting upon orders. Orders from-?"

"How should I know?" Lyall protested angrily.

"There was also an Arrancar," Layla added slowly, her hands folded in front of her. All eyes drew towards the woman, "An Arrancar came and distracted Madame Shihoin, but didn't appear to be with the Vasto Lordes when it escaped."

"So it's possible that the Arrancar and the Vasto Lordes were not aware of each other's presence. Perhaps there's more than one group of hollows looking for Karin," Shunsui commented calmly.

"You don't know that!" Lyall shouted, his eyes blazing.

"But neither do you, correct?" Shunsui was now positioned right in front of Lyall, staring down ominously, "Or is there something else you'd be willing to share with myself and the others in this room?"

Layla and Byakuya glanced at each other with widened eyes, both their expressions saying what each of them was too proud and noble to say aloud: _Whoa. _

* * *

"They're taking forever," Leta had her knees tucked up to her chin as she sat in the floor outside the Tangerine Room, her face in a very child-like pout. Renji was finding her sudden immaturity very amusing.

"Don't sweat it, Captain Kuchiki, Captain Kyoraku, and you're sister are in there," he smiled reassuringly, "Your brother's bound to spill information."

"As if you'd know," Leta disaggreed, "My brother is likely to 'spill' information, that's true. But he's always had an alterior motive for everything he's ever done. He'll keep some information to himself."

"Eh?" Renji glanced at her curiously, expecting her to continue. Leta sighed,

"You know the reason he became a Kido Captain in the first place?" She gave the Lieutenant a disgruntled look, "If you ask any Kido Corps member they'll say that it was to carry on the Kamaguchi name and to prove that he was an able-bodied Clan Leader candidate," She snuffed her nose in a disgusted manner, "But the truth of it, is that my sister was going to nominate me as the future Captain."

"You?" Renji's eyes narrowed, "But you were never in the Kido Corps...you were in the Gotei 13."

Leta laughed lightly, a nervous fashion of a laugh, "Yeah. My sister sent me to the Soul Reaper Academy to be in the Kido Corps though...I just ended up being recruited by the Court Guards," her nervous laugh continued, "I accepted my Captain's offer and never looked back. Layla used my ambition and youth as an excuse to back up my qualifications," She paused and ran a hand through her reddish blonde hair, "But the minute she tried to reaffirm my status as a qualified person to be a Captain, my brother jumped in and had himself nominated." She gave Renji a bitter smile, "Just to keep me from becoming Captain."

"Why?" Renji looked down at her, trying to absorb all the information she'd just shared.

Leta looked at him, her eyes softening, and then looked back at the space between her tucked-in knees, "I have no idea."

* * *

"Captain Kyoraku," Layla had sat down into one of the tangerine velvet armchairs against the wall, her green hair making her face look washed white against the cushion. She had a hand raised slightly towards her mouth. "Are you suggesting that my brother is working with the Vasto Lordes?"

"I'm curious as to his answer to that very question," Shunsui smirked at the woman, his eyes trailing from her to Lyall, who was seething with rage, his hands balled on the desktop.

"What an outrageous accusation," Lyall spat, his dark eyes on fire, "Of course I am not, sister." He glance at Layla, who looked relieved, "As if I'd even associate with such monsters-"

"Nothing is stopping my accusation," Shunsui said in a less than light tone, "Nor me from telling the council though," His eyes were just as fiery, "Unless you tell us what you're keeping secret."

"But I'm not keeping anything secret!" Lyall yelled angrily.

"Then why as a Captain, would you let them take Karin-chan?" Shunsui's eyes softened, and Byakuya glanced at him with an undreadable expression, "Surely the moral implications struck you?"

"Morals have nothing to do with this," Lyall sighed, his chin sitting in his hand, "The Council gave an order and I followed it. I can't help it if others," His eyes flashed for an instance to Byakuya, "tempted me to act out of turn. I can accept the punishment for that, but do not think for an instant, Captain Kyoraku, that I'm working with those creatures."

"Lyall," Layla's voice suddenly broke through the calm that the three men flinched simultaneously. "If I may be so bold as to ask; were you given orders from the Council to arrange a barrier around the Summit, allowing the Vasto Lordes an opportunity to kidnap Karin Kurosaki?"

Her brother nodded his head, "Yes."

"Before this, had you told the Council the Kido Corps would be of any assistance in the matter?"

There was a small pause, as Byakuya and Shunsui looked at each other with grim, unsure expressions. Lyall scratched his chin, not seeing the value of this question,

"No," He finally replied. "The Council first came to me and told me of their plan to use the barrier, and then explained how this girl was to be a negotiation piece to prevent the Soul Society from crumbling under a Vasto Lordes' pressure and that I had to make sure she was taken under all costs." The edge of his voice had returned, and slowly the two other Captains noticed there was a piece of this conversation that Lyall was intentionally leaving out. They looked to Layla to see if she'd noticed; she had.

"I see," Her soft lips pursed as she gave her brother a hesitant glance, "Then I must ask you...what did they threaten if you didn't cooperate?"

Lyall's face paled, "Beg pardon?"

"The Council told you to do this for them, but you could have easily refused. Yet you didn't...why? What did they threaten against you if you didn't help them?"

The Kido Captain gave her a deadly glance, his eyes narrowing slowly. His eyes traced from Byakuya's apprehensive expression to Shunsui's curious stare back to Layla, whose face showed she already had an inkling of his answer surfacing in her mind. Lyall gave a heavy sigh, his palms pressed to his forehead, and looked up at her with sober eyes,

"All I can tell you is...someone threatened to reveal the Metempsychis to the Council." His sober eyes had a ruthless lust to them as he said the foreign term. Layla looked as if she had been shot in the gut, her gray eyes filled with horror, but a horror she had expected.

Byakuya and Shunsui looked at each other with curious glances. "What," Shunsui began, "Is the Met-"

"That's enough then for now, brother," Layla cut in, standing up straight, her long green hair swishing by her side, "Thank you, Lyall. If you would, please stay here for now." Her eyes softened, "It's safer than a prison cell, no?"

Lyall leaned back in his chair, still looking angry at his last sentence, "Yes. Of course, sister," He replied distantly, as if already thinking of something else.

"Let us leave him, Captains. We've done enough questioning for now," She gripped each of their arms and led them towards the door of the room. Byakuya looked suddenly upset,

"Madame, we still have to ask him about-"

"I know enough for us now, Byakuya," Layla gave the Sixth Division Captain a look that could have killed a lesser soul. The Captain stared at her in wonder, and then let his arm limp enough for her to grip it harder and lead him from the room.

The door to the Tangerine Room creeked shut as Renji and Leta hopped up from the floor, seeming eager to hear what all had happened inside.

"Well?" Leta's hazel eyes were dancing in the unfiltered sunlight, "What happened? What did he tell us?"

"Practically nothing," Byakuya replied in a moody voice. Both Renji and Leta's eyes drooped in depression instantly. Layla gave her fiance' a trifling glance, then turned to her younger sister,

"Would you care," She started, smiling faintly, "To go with Lieutenant Abarai and run downstairs to see if an assistant could bring Lyall some food and water?"

Leta looked like she'd been slapped in the face, "Aren't we going to be debriefed as well?" She sounded insulted at the idea she was running errands.

"Of course you will be," Layla reassured her. "Please, run and do this, and then I will inform you what we've found out."

Renji nudged her shoulder, smiling slightly, "Come on. We'll hurry back."

Leta eyed her sister suspiciously, then spun around to walk with the Lieutenant, "Fine."

When they were out of sight, Layla turned to Shunsui and Byakuya, who were brimming with questions. The two jumped right into asking her,

"What is a Metempsychis?" Byakuya questioned in solemnity, "Why did you remove us from questioning Lyall?"

"What did your brother tell you that was extra information?" Shunsui inquired curiously, "He seemed to tell us nothing new or important; even after I tried throwing some curveballs to rile him up."

Layla gave a light, ghost of a laugh, "Oh you angered him, Capain Kyoraku. But I know my brother well; he speaks in riddles, so understanding his subtle comments is understanding him at all." She drew her voice like a whisper and huddled the Captains towards her, "Lyall told us all we need to know for now."

"Such as?" Byakuya grimly questioned.

"Lyall never suggested that the Council use the Kido Corps to create the barrier for the Summit Hall, for starters. While the Kido Corps would be more advantageous in creating a stronger barrier, I'm curious as to why the Council didn't simply ask the Twelfth Division to create one first. Captain Kurotschi is a competent scientist; he would have been more than qualified to build such a sufficient barrier for their use. Furthermore," Layla's eyes glanced from Byakuya to Shunsui, "We know that the Twelfth Division was already looking into the Arrancar and Vasto Lordes situation, so they were in the know from the start."

"That's true," Shunsui said slowly, his eyes filling with curiosity.

"Meaning," Layla continued, "That someone that is _not _Lyall, but connected with the Kido Corps, suggested the council seek their guidance instead of the Twelfth Division of the Gotei 13, thus directly making my brother involved against his will."

"So someone's working behind the scenes to involve the Kido Corps with this entire incident and framing Lyall as the scapegoat," Shunsui observed, nodding his head.

"Yes," Layla sighed, "And my brother is just the type of fool to go along with it for his own image and personal gain."

"But threatening him with the revealing of a..._Metempsychis_," Byakuya glared, "What even is such a thing?" Shunsui looked to him and then to Layla with an equally curious stare.

The Kamaguchi clan leader stared at the two, then let her eyes draw away from them. "Metempsychis is a Latin term, a dead language expression meaning '_soul-migration_.' Over a thousand years ago, the phrase was coined when a son of a noble gained the zanpakuto of his father after birth."

The eyes of both captains widened in stunned silence.

"It is a rarely used term because the instance only rarely occurs in the Soul Society, and only amongst nobles or aristocrats," Layla's eyes were closed as she spoke. "When two souls come together to reproduce, typically the new soul created takes bits and pieces of its 'parent' soul and is forged as a separate being," She explained, though she knew this was nothing new for the captains to hear. "However, when Metempsychis occurs, the new soul is created by taking all of the former souls that created it, not just bits and pieces."

"Meaning," Shunsui's wide eyes were boring into Layla. Her eyes remained closed,

"A soul that essentially consumes all that the parent souls offer it upon birth...including a zanpakuto, if in existence."

"I've never heard of such a thing," Byakuya said with a distant stare, as if thinking.

"That's because it is a very, very rare occurance," Layla sighed sadly.

"And Lyall knows a Metempsychis that exists now?" Shunsui asked gently.

Layla opened her eyes to somberly stare at the captain, who flinched slightly. "Yes," She said serenely, "He knows of one."

"Why does it matter if they're revealed to the Council?" Shunsui continued to carefully prod.

"It shouldn't be hard to comprehend the ramifications of a soul technically stealing from another soul to be created and to survive," Layla replied gravely, "The Council has always taken the same stance on the Metempsychis." Her voice dropped an octave, "If one is discovered, the penalty...is death."

* * *

"I wish mother hadn't designed these rooms to be soundproof," Leta Kamaguchi had her hands wrapped around the back of her head as her and the Lieutenant entered the kitchen downstairs.

"Soundproof? Really?" Renji stammered as he dodged a cook flying past them holding a tray of biscuits and tea.

"Oh yes," Leta sighed, "That's why we were sitting outside the rooms and couldn't hear any word of what they were saying," She crossed her arms grumpily, "For all we know they could have been playing cards and swigging sake; without a care in the world for Karin."

Renji pondered this and then shook his head at Leta, "I seriously doubt that, Leta." The shake of his head broke into a large smirk, "Captain Kuchiki's terrible at cards."

Leta stared at him for a second and then burst into a peel of laughter, as Renji smirked deeper. The door from the outside to the kitchen suddenly opened wide, halting the laughter of Leta and Renji. The two stared at the doorway.

From outside, Yoruichi Shihoin walked into the kitchen, decked out in her typical Shinigami garb of black halter-top kimono and orange jacket. She carried Shou in one arm, who was in matching robes and drooling absent-mindedly on her sleeve.

"Yoruichi! Shou," Leta grabbed the baby from Yoruichi's arms and tucked him into her own arms, rocking him slowly, "Any news from the Real World?"

"We contacted Ichigo," Yoruichi grinned a cat-like smile, "He's all set to go to Hueco Mundo."

"Excellent," Leta smiled broadly.

"Has he left yet?" Renji leaned in towards the cat woman.

"He's exchanging his gigai at Urahara's and setting things in motion so Karakura Town will be protected in his absence. Captain Hitsugaya," A small smile formed on her face, "has chosen to accompany him."

Leta gave a bark of a laugh, "Big surprise there."

"Captain Hitsugaya's accompanying him?" Renji raised an eyebrow. "Won't the Council realize he's gone if that happens?"

"I've just discussed the matter with Lieutenant Matsumoto," Yoruichi smiled, "She says things are under control, and I offered some assistance to make sure his..._presence_...isn't missed." Her eyes grew more serious, "Any luck with the interrogation?"

"Not that we know of," Leta replied instantly, "We actually were left out of the process and told to come down here and fetch my dear brother some food and water."

"Oh?" Yoruichi frowned, "Then who interrogated Lyall?"

"Captain Kyoraku, Captain Kuchiki, and Madame Layla," Renji answered.

"Interesting..." Yoruichi scratched her head, "Let's go and see what they've come across information-wise, shall we?" She started walking past them towards the door out of the kitchen. Leta turned to the Lieutenant,

"Get Lyall's food in order. I'm going with Yoruichi."

* * *

"In regards to the interrogation," Shunsui asked hesitantly, "What are we telling the two young ones?"

"We're telling Leta and Renji everything that Lyall's told us," Layla stated matter-of-factly, as she ran a hand through her green hair. "About the Kido Corps, this mysterious person using Lyall, everything we've just learned," Layla's eyes glanced nervously from Shunsui to Byakuya, "Except the business of the Metempsychis. It's best if we leave that matter alone."

"Why?" Byakuya inquired with a scanning eye at Layla, "It's important information."

Shunsui gave Byakuya a disheartened glance; Layla waved at him dismissively with her hand, "It's important to us because he let us hear it in the interrogation room; however, I believe we shouldn't let out the reason for his framing to just anyone," She stopped herself and coughed, clearing her throat, "That is to say, it doesn't affect Karin's situation now, so let's drop the matter until we learn more, shall we?"

"Drop what matter?" Leta and Yoruichi topped the stairs, Leta still carrying Shou, with Renji running to catch up behind them.

Layla smiled innocently and wide, a gesture that not only made her seem years younger, but also looked ingenuine, "Sister! And Yoruichi!"

"Hmph," Byakuya huffed, "I see you invited her here."

Layla patted Byakuya's shoulder, a gesture he seemed awkward towards, "She's involved in this as well." Her eyes glanced at Yoruichi, "I take it everything went accordingly?"

"You tell us the information you've got and I'll tell you mine," Yoruichi smirked in the most feline of smiles.

_**Ahh, sooo...lots of information going about, huh? **_

_**Next chapter:**_

_**Ichigo, Nel, and Hitsugaya are going to Hueco Mundo! And who or what is the Elder that Sonido and Trigger are taking Karin to? What does it want with Karin?**_

_**Have a great weekend,**_

_**Romania Black**_


	46. Flying Too Close to the Sun

Hello once again, I'm sorry that it's taken longer than usual to get this chapter done...school's funny like that. I have so much to do! But I'm sure you're in the same boat. I have a few notes to go over before getting to this chapter (Which I'm really excited for you to read):

1. I've been in a Dragonball Z kick lately for the first time in years; I've decided to take this inspiration and use it to finish (Once and for all!) my fanfic "The Taming of the Saiyan", which is exciting to me because I've wanted to finish it for a loooooong time!

What does that mean for you dear reader? Well, it means the next few chapters may (or may not!) come out later than usual. I want to complete the last three or four chapters I have lined up for my DBZ fic, but I will, in between finishing it, be updating this one!

2. _**HOLY COW**_, if you haven't caught up with Bleach and read the Manga, PLEASE do so! The last four chapters have been AMAZING, but the LATEST FOUR CHAPTERS...hmmm...well, let's say it puts a little wrench in my story but also helps it out a lot! You'll see when you read this chapter!

3. The first half of this story takes place _**BEFORE**_ the events of the last chapter. Just so you know! ^_^ As for the second half...let's just say the plot just got a little..._**Darker. **_

_**Thank you all **_for being patient with me and also enjoying the story! You inspire me every chapter, and also give me ideas that I hadn't even thought of! Special thanks to the following reviewers:

**RandomDudleGrl08, z00rm, tasumichan **(Holy cow, an inner hollow for Karin? Yikes! Hmmm, I hadn't thought of that. As for Bankai...well, to be honest I HAVE thought of that...but we'll see where the story takes us. I'm glad you like it so far!), **theloverofanime **(Kon is so funny! I'm glad you liked the last couple of chapters! They were great fun to write! About your random thoughts: Yeah, it seems they are getting married huh? I wouldn't be so sure of IchigoXRukia/RenjiXLeta...especially LetaXRenji. To me, they're more friends or former student/teacher as far as relationships go. Tee hee, I've wanted Lyall to get slapped for a while! Glad you liked it! haha! As for the meta-villain, or so it seems, I can't wait for you all to meet...well...you'll have to wait and see! bwahaha), **Turtle-Chan in Blue **(I didn't get your last review... T_T Not happy about that. But thank you for reviewing again! Yes, Shunsui is one sly man huh?), **bloodyrose1294 **(hmmm, I think I can trust you as a gambler then, huh? Yes, Lyall is in support of protecting someone...hmmm...), and **stormcrowley **(I feel so mysterious lately in these reviews, but the Metempsychis is something to look out for in the upcoming chapters...I'm hoping to connect its meaning in the Soul Society to that in Hueco Mundo. Ah! You'll see soon! I'm talking too much! Also, Ichigo and Nel...sigh, they're a dream couple to me, but as for being true to the Manga Tite Kubo's created and having them together? Hmmm...we'll see. They do make a great team though, right?)

Enjoy the story!

Romania Black

**Chapter Forty-Six**

**I will fly closer and closer  
The sun yearning to sit in this palm  
My wax wings melting  
My eyesight waning  
But I still press on  
To keep this sun sitting in my palm**

Neliel Tu Oderschvank, a former hollow leader known as an Espada, forced the black turtleneck she'd been given over her head with a tug; her white mask and teal hair spewing down her back. She gave a large sigh and turned her head in relief towards Yoruichi,

"Well, it fits," She smiled as she turned in place. They were standing in the room Yoruichi stayed in during her trips to the Real World, in Urahara's Shoten. Nel glanced at her back via one of the long mirrors propped up against the wall, "It fits okay, right? It's not too...tight?" She blushed as Yoruichi placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

"Nah, it looks good," The feline femme was dressed in her Shinigami robes, her short plum hair messy, "Better on you than me even."

"Don't say that," Nel blushed deeper, tugging the end of the shirt down so it covered her unclothed bottom half, "I'm not used to showing this much skin...is there something else I can wear with this?"

"I hope so," Ichigo's body leaned on the doorway in an agitated fashion, his eyes averted, with subtle effort, at Nel's face.

"Ichigo!" Nel burst with a smile, straightening up in her place, which caused her turtleneck to ride up to her stomach. Ichigo maintained his eye contact with Nel's face, but his cheeks were burning a fire red.

Yoruichi smirked, trying hard not to embarass the boy any further, "Ichigo...you never cease to amaze me..."

"Shut up," Ichigo frowned at the cat woman, "and get Nel some pants or something...we need to meet with Urahara in the main room."

"Fine, fine," Yoruichi sighed, "But what if I didn't bring anything else with me?" Her face playfully lit up as Ichigo's drained of color.

"Don't say crap like that to me," His blush deepened and he turned from the doorway, heading towards the main room.

Urahara Kisuke, Ichigo's first mentor and ally was standing in the middle of the room decked in his usual black robes and white and green striped bucket hat. Tessai, his employee and the former Kido Captain of the Soul Society stood tall and broad-shouldered beside him, his arms crossed at his chest. Jinta and Ururu were crouched near the door leaving the Shoten; obviously trying to stay hidden and eavesdrop, but Ichigo could sense them a mile away. Toshiro Hitsugaya was standing beside the two men, looking like a small child compared to their height. Ichigo ran a hand through his orange hair,

"They're almost ready," He sighed impatiently.

"Good," Urahara smiled and nodded his head, his eyes shadowed by his hat. "While she was getting ready, Tessai assisted me in opening a Garganta to Hueco Mundo."

"So," Toshiro glanced at the candy shop owner, "how are we to return to the Real World?"

"Nel should have access to the Garganta once in Hueco Mundo," Urahara noted, "She'll be necessary for you to return back."

"Was she able to do this in child form?" The diminuitive captain glanced towards Ichigo, who shrugged his shoulders.

"Her fraccion, Dondochakka and Pesche opened up a Garganta for us," He closed his eyes as he spoke, "It wasn't hard for them."

"I'm excited," Nel appeared from behind them, wearing a short black skin-tight skirt and the black turtleneck; her green and silver katana attached to her side with a low-slung black leather belt, "for Dondochakka and Pesche to see me returned to normal."

The four men glanced her up and down. Ichigo smiled hesitantly, "I'm sure they'll be glad to see you."

"Ichigo," Yoruichi came from behind Nel and stood by Urahara, "I had one other inquiry to make with you before we go to Hueco Mundo."

The Substitute Shinigami's face grew a tick darker, as if he could sense what she was going to ask, "And that would be?" Toshiro and the two shop workers glanced at the cat woman.

"Did you accomplish anything more on your journey to Hueco Mundo with Nel before? That is," She ran a thin finger across her lips, "Have you regained any more of your strength as a Shinigami?"

Toshiro's eyes widened as he shot his head towards Ichigo, his mouth gaped slightly. _They're...He hasn't regained his powers?_

He knew that in the battle with Aizen Ichigo had lost his Shinigami powers. Somehow the battle, which only Urahara Kisuke, Rangiku Matsumoto, and Isshin Kurosaki had glimpsed, had caused Ichigo to spend all his powers to help Urahara seal Aizen away in another dimension permanently. At the cost of his powers, he had been granted permanent stay on Earth, but Isshin and Urahara had been working, outside the Council's eyes, to return Ichigo's powers to him. He had heard this from Rukia Kuchiki. However, Ichigo's progress had been slow up until his leave for Hueco Mundo, in which-

"They're coming back to me," Ichigo glanced down at his hand, that was balled into a fist, "slowly. I can call out Zangetsu, but only for a while. Bankai is a whole different story."

"How is that going to _help _us?" Toshiro blurted angrily, "You haven't regained all your Shinigami powers and you think we're going to barge into Hueco Mundo and fight the _Vasto Lordes_?" He stared incredulously at the group, "Are you all insane?"

"I'm _not_," Ichigo gritted his teeth, "Going to leave my sister, whom _you_, by the way," His eyes flared at the captain, "threw into harm's way to be placed in any more danger."

"And you going into Hueco Mundo half-assed is any safer?" Toshiro was nearly on his tip toes to reach Ichigo's face, "You're even more of a liability to her danger-"

"Ladies, please," Yoruichi ran her hands to each of their chests and separated them, her golden eyes glancing irritated at the two of them.

Urahara raised an obnoxiously large fan in front of his face, his eyes wide, "Oh my."

"Ichigo will be fine," Nel stated suddenly, causing all eyes to fall on her. She gave a slip of a blush, the pink rising in her cheeks, "We were training in Hueco Mundo, hoping to help restore his reitsu, since it's so plentiful there and since the Soul Society wouldn't allow him to train there." Her eyes lowered to Toshiro with a hint of pleading, "Please, Captain Hitsugaya, Ichigo will eventually regain his powers. But for now we have to be patient."

Toshiro glanced up at the former Espada. It was hard to believe at times that she was even remotely hollow; her gray-brown eyes seemed so human. He sighed heavily, "We don't have time to be patient."

"We don't have time to discuss this further," Yoruichi frowned, "Ichigo will be fine. You and Nel will be there to keep damage control. Our main goal isn't to fight anyway," She glanced to Urahara, "Correct?"

Kisuke lowered the fan from his face, smiling broadly, "Of course! Our goal right now should be to locate Karin and find out what the Vasto Lordes want with her." His eyes danced in the shadow of his hat, "Then we can devise a plan of action. We shouldn't make it our goal to immediately provoke the Vasto Lordes."

"In the meantime," Yoruichi placed her hands on her hips, "I'm going back to the Soul Society to see the Interrogation went with Lyall Kamaguchi. Hopefully this information about Nel and the confirmed Vasto Lordes targeting Ichigo and Karin will match with their collected data as well."

"Alright then," Ichigo glanced at Toshiro, "Toshiro, I know you don't think I can hold my own. I assure you I can." His eyes narrowed slightly, "Can you be willing to have me follow you on this mission?"

It was clear to the captain that Ichigo was somewhat asking his permission to come with them; that he knew he wasn't at his strongest and posed the possibility of being a danger to him and Neliel. But what could he say to the brother of the girl Toshiro was trying to protect? He stared at the hard gleam emitting from Ichigo's eyes. It reminded him of that day he first met Karin on the soccer field, his mind flashing back:

_"Do you know where my brother is?" _Karin's desperate voice echoed in his head.

_"No, I don't...but I know Ichigo," _Toshiro played the words over again in his mind, his voice a distant memory, _"He's working to become stronger. He fights until he has nothing left; that's just the kind of man he is...he never gives up, even to the very end...just like you."_

"Toshiro?"

The captain suddenly realized that everyone in the shop was looking at him.

"First of all, Ichigo Kurosaki, call me Captain Hitsugaya," His teal eyes glared at the Shinigami, then softened, "Second, instead of begging to come along, why aren't you dragging me out of here? We have a sister of yours to rescue, correct?" He raised his eyebrow in a coy manner.

Ichigo scoffed, but the corners of his mouth were upturned in a dark smile, "As if I need you to tell me! Let's go. Nel?" He glanced at his comrade, who was grinning from ear to ear,

"Coming Ichigo!"

"Yoruichi," Ichigo started, looking at the cat woman.

"Don't worry about me, I'll have everything taken care of at the Soul Society," She winked at him and gave Toshiro a little nod.

Ichigo sighed, "I should have known you'd have it taken care of."

'Tessai will help you downstairs with the Garganta that we've set up," Urahara smiled his fox-like grin, "And," His eyes averted towards the door, "Jinta and Ururu will assist you as well."

"Awwww!" Jinta yelled, his red hair gleaming in the sunlight as he and Ururu popped out from the doorway, his face a large pout, and hers looking gloomy. "We were caught Ururu!"

"We should go help Tessai," She whimpered softly.

"Shut up, Ururu! You're no fun! Why should we-" Before Jinta could grab a fistful of Ururu's black hair, Tessai approached them and lifted him off the ground, throwing him over his shoulder as Ururu trailed behind, looking slightly more peaceful. "Tessai! Let me go! Let me go!" Jinta yelled as he pounded his fists against the giant man's back; Tessai looked completely unaffected.

"Thanks again, Urahara," Ichigo smiled simply, as Toshiro and Nel followed Ichigo behind Tessai, Jinta, and Ururu. They disappeared under a trap door that Tessai had pulled up with his free arm, leaving Kisuke and Yoruichi alone in the main room of the Shoten.

"They'll be fine," Yoruichi's brow furrowed slightly, "Won't they?"

"You ask some bizarre questions sometimes," Urahara smiled reassuringly, "What do you think?"

"I just," She silenced herself, thought for a moment, then sighed, "I don't know what I think about any of this. It's all very confusing."

"Complex," Urahara suggested, his arm wrapping subtly around her waist, pulling her in towards him, "but not confusing. We just need a few more pieces of the puzzle to figure this out." He rested his forehead against hers, his bucket hat shielding both of them.

"Sometimes I hope our son takes after you," She smiled slyly, "So he'll be able to ease my worries when you're not there."

"Ah," Kisuke grinned slowly, his eyes looking into hers, "Surely you realize our son has too much of you in him to do that?"

"I say _'sometimes_,'" She smirked, brushing her lips towards his, "because I remember how much of a mess he'd be if he was _completely _like you."

The two kissed each other passionately, his grip on her waist tightening as she wrapped her arms around his neck for the embrace. She quickly let go and headed for the door.

"Don't waste time getting back," Kisuke smiled serenely. She glanced back at him as she hit the doorway,

"Do you remember who you're talking to?" Yoruichi laughed, and in a flash was gone from sight.

* * *

"Sonido," The female hollow gave a large huff as she wiped the sweat from her brow, strands of rose pink hair sticking to her forehead, "Let's...take a break..."

The odd trio were walking across the desert for what Karin Kurosaki thought had been nearly a full day. There was no sunlight though, so she couldn't be sure how long they'd traveled. But so far the leader of their group, or rather the proclaimed leader, Sonido, had not offered them any opportunity for rest.

Sonido walked stoicly in front, with Karin in between him and the small hollow-girl, Trigger. Her hands, to keep her mobility somewhat handicapped, had been tied together with what felt like heavy steel twine, though she didn't think steel existed here. In any case, she couldn't move her hands except for a few feet in front of her and side to side.

"Sonido," The hollow-girl repeated, her visible red eye squinting as she peered ahead of her, "I think I'm starting to get dizzy...let's...stop for a minute. A second," She added desperately.

_Weird, _Karin glanced above them. It was pitch black save for the bright white moon that waned overhead, _There's been no sunlight all day...is it always like that here?_

"Soniiiiiiidddoooooo," Trigger whined loudly, and finally the Vasto Lordes turned his head her direction.

"Silence. We're almost there." was all he said.

It in fact had been the most he'd said this entire journey. Karin studied the Vasto Lordes up and down. He seemed to have been in deep thought the entire day, walking ahead of them with such a rigid stance it seemed to make him robotic.

_I wonder what he's been thinking this whole time? _Karin pondered to herself. _Plotting ways to kill me? _She shook her head furiously to herself. _No, that can't be it. Maybe...maybe this has something to do with "The Elder..." _She had been wanting to question about this "Elder" all day, but the very thought of Trigger the hollow-girl kicking her made her wince. She was a tough girl, but no one likes to be beat up; especially when they can't defend themselves.

"But we've been walking all day!" The female hollow groaned, "We got to take a ton of breaks on the way to Las Noches!" Her eyes narrowed at Karin, as she poked her in the back, "Why aren't you helping me? Tell him to take a break!"

Karin glanced at the hollow-girl skeptically, "What good is the captive telling him to stop going to do?"

"What's it going to hurt?" Trigger frowned, "Come on, my feet are killing me! Aren't yours hurting?"

_Are my feet hurting? _Karin pondered this and looked down at her feet. They felt normal oddly enough. _Maybe since Trigger's a child...or looks like a child..._

"Actually, they don't hurt at all," Karin said simply in reply. The female hollow gave Karin an icy cold glare,

"Fine. Be that way. You little wench." She ground her teeth together furiously and whined at Sonido again, "Hey! How much further do we have until we're at the Elder's?"

"If we walk as we are now, we'll make it there by morning," Sonido's voice rasped on the inside of his mask, "No breaks. Cope with your pain, Trigger."

Trigger scrunched her childish nose in disgust, her hands balled into fists. She gave Karin a furious look, "I don't know what he's planning with you, but I will personally see that it results in your doom." Her rose eye glared hard at Karin, who kept her mouth shut despite the urge to counter her statement. This gesture caused Trigger to form a small, evil smile, "You don't know where we're going do you? I bet you want to know what this "Elder" is, huh?"

The question hit the nail on the head, as Karin's face flushed. Trigger's facial features twisted maniacally,

"Well well," She grinned viciously, "I can tell you this, The Elder isn't one known for its kindness, especially to Shinigami." Her small delicate pale hand traced Karin's cheek. Her arms bound, the Shinigami could do nothing to avoid the gesture, "If you're lucky, maybe it'll let you keep your pretty head." She flicked a piece of Karin's hair behind her ear.

Karin didn't say anything, but her mind was panicked, _Let me keep my head?_

The thought of her head being detached from her body was enough for her to stay silent the remainder of their walk.

* * *

Konso Priatt had never questioned his own existence until this moment.

He had been summoned to and now stood in the middle of a large coliseum. He was told to stand in the middle of the arena floor, forcing his pale knees not to shake; the dust around his ankles clustering as if his flesh was a magnet. The dirt was the only thing he could see in the coliseum, and that was only because of the hole in the ceiling of the enclosed arena that allowed a beam of moonlight to filter down upon him. The walls, the bleachers, even the seats where he knew they sat were concealed from the moonlight, shrouded in complete darkness.

"Konso Priatt," A low, drawing voice soothingly spoke from the blackness, "Step forward."

The Arrancar was terrified to leave the brief and isolating comfort of the moon beam, but with trembling legs forced himself to take a step. He was now almost completely in the darkness, the backside of him still gleaming from the moonlight.

"Y-yes?"

"We sent you to the Soul Society of the Shinigami, Arrancar," The voice said calmly, "In hopes of completing your mission." There was a pause, and Konso grew terrified of the silence. "But you failed."

The sentence made the Arrancar flinch, "Hear me out, Great King," He raised his eyes, hoping they were staring at him through the darkness, "I did as you said. I used the Shinigami she sent us and made him open a Senkaimon to the Soul Society," His voice became a tick more frantic, "I even killed the Shinigami afterwards like you told me to."

"Then why," The voice said in a cool fashion, "were you unsuccessful?"

"I-I went after the girl," Konso started again, "And-And these two captains attacked me. Well, one was a former captain, but still-"

"Captains? Who?" The voice inquired, seeming piqued at this new information.

"Yoruichi Shihoin was one," Konso sneered, "I recognized her from the information we received from the ruins of Las Noches. The other was the Tenth Division Captain," Konso's breathing was slightly more rapid, "They tried to stop me and then that allowed the girl to-"

"Escape," The voice interrupted with a sickening calm, "We know, Konso. We know. We also know that now we cannot locate her. That she has disappeared from the Soul Society. Would you care," The voice said in a more heated fashion, "to explain how that is possible?"

"H-h-how should I know?" Konso replied panicked, "Why couldn't-why couldn't she just kidnap the Shinigami from the start instead of having me-"

"Uh uh uhnh," The voice interrupted, and Konso froze, "Tsk tsk, blaming your higher authority for your own failure? Shameful, Arrancar, shameful."

"No-no," Konso was sweating profusely, drops of sweat glowing on his white skin as he stepped back into he beam of moonlight. "I didn't-I wasn't-"

The voice sighed, as if bored, "We sent you on a specific mission to kidnap Karin Kurosaki and bring her to us. The entire ordeal had been set up perfectly for you. There should not have been any mistakes," Suddenly a new voice was heard overlapping the calm one; a snarling hungry voice. Konso's eyes widened,

"Please, Great King, I did as you said! Someone else must have kidnapped her while I was distracted!" He shut his mouth instantly, realizing the mistake he had just uttered.

There was silence, and then a loud, insane laugh rose from the darkness coupled with the jargled laugh of a beastial creature.

"_Someone else_?" The calm voice cried out incredulously, "You fool Arrancar! You dare to suggest-"

"-_No_!" Konso waved his arms in desperation "That's not what I meant-"

"-that one of our own kind kidnapped her? That they would _betray us _in such a manner?" Konso could hear the grinding of teeth, "Do you take us for fools. She would know if someone else had been there."

"It-It-" Konso was drenched in sweat, "It could have been one of your own! How would she have been able to detect-"

"I've had enough," The voice suddenly interjected. "Your excuses aren't even worth listening to." The voice paused, as the sound of another voice, slobbery like a dog's, began to grow louder.

"P-please," Konso begged, dropping to his knees, his eyes wide and frantic, "Please have mercy Great King!"

Another small pause. The calm voice sighed heavily, "Konso Konso Konso," It chanted, "You have been a worthy servant and have devoted yourself to us as a powerful ally."

Konso knelt his head against his knee, his voice shaking with relief. "Thank you, Great King. T-thank you, Great King." He sighed with great joy.

"Your death shall be a swift one."

Konso's head flew up into the moonlight, "_WHAT_?"

"He's yours Gulo," The calm voice slithered. "Devour him."

Konso flew backward from the moonlight, screaming as he tried to locate an exit to the coliseum, "No! No! I was loyal! I did as you asked! I did whatever you said to! _NOOOOO_-"

His scream was drowned by the snarling sound of teeth gnashing and biting, blood splattering against the dirt in the moonlight. The Arrancar wailed in the blackness and then his moans were silenced for good. The dog-sounding voice gobbled in the pitch darkness before returning to the calm voice, slurping as it spoke roughly,

"Nahm," a chewing sound emitted from the creature, the voice oozing, "He tastes awful."

"As to be expected from a failure," The calm voice sighed. "Konso was indeed expendable to us."

The sound of chomping filled the air, "Hmmm Mmmm," The dog-voice agreed, "What 'bout what he said? 'Bout the others 'elpin' him?"

"You mean the possibility that one of our own is working against us?" The calm voice said almost as a curse, "Surely you jest." There was a pause, as if the voice was thinking, "Still...it does not hurt our cause to interrogate. Let us gather the others, and test dear Konso's theory. If a rat is amongst us, you'll be able to sniff them out, no?"

"Heh heh," The snarling voice chuckled darkly, "'Course."

"Hmmm," The calm voice snickered quietly, "A gathering of the Vasto Lordes is exactly what we need before we launch our grand assault, no?" The voice cooed sweetly as the snarling voice spit a large chunk of bone into the moonlight. It was a bloodied remainder of the Arrancar Konso Priatt's mask.

"Dear Konso may have proven himself useful in the end after all."

_**I hope you liked this chapter! I'm so excited for where the story's going from here! **_

_**Next chapter: THE ELDER. That's all I can say for now.**_

_**Have a great week and weekend,**_

_**Romania Black**_


	47. The Elder

Ah, it's been a little while, but here's the next chapter! I'm anxious to read your reactions to it, because it's a little different than anything I've written for this story so far, but I actually ended up liking it. haha, it took forever to write too!

I'm curious as to how you guys like it (hopefully you will!)

As since I've started this story, you've been amazing readers! I really can't thank you enough for your support. Special thanks goes to the following:

**Jugular Signal, vanillatwilight132941, bleach-chan **(Thank you so much! I love writing this story, and I'm glad you like it too. Yes, the Karin mystery is going to be answered within the next few chapters...just slowly, but hopefully the payoff will be worth it!), **WindSyrin, MoOmOo753951, bloodyrose1294 **(haha, I hope Kubo fixes it too! But for this story, I suppose it works out...for now anyway. Like the mystery surrounding Karin, I hope to have an answer about the division with the arrancars for you soon. Please be patient ^^), **Monkona-chan0402, Turtle-Chan in Blue **(HA! Oh my, that comment got me! Yes, Ichigo and Toshiro can be quite the divas. ;P ), and **Skullex**

Usually the poems that I put in before the chapter starts reflects the chapter at hand. This one is especially made for this chapter, as it basically describes the Elder. Consider it the "Elder's poem", kind of like what Kubo does at the start of each manga volume.

I hope you enjoy the story!

Romania Black

**Chapter Forty-Seven**

**Numb  
nervous trembling  
heart that is dying  
split my soul saturated with sleep  
kill the feeling  
soul that is reeling  
seeping from this hole in my chest  
body that is decaying  
all I feel is  
Numb**

Karin Kurosaki could barely feel her legs. They had walked so far, for what she determined had to have been almost twenty hours worth of treading the lonely desert. There had been no sign of daybreak either; though the white glowing moon overhead had moved subtly though over the night sky. It was Karin's only notion that time had actually passed on their journey through the darkness.

Despite her legs feeling like jelly against the silver sand, she had been pressed forward by Sonido, the Vasto Lordes who now stood behind her, poking her along when she'd started to falter in her movements with the back of his elbow. The bone from the elbow jutted out like a long sword, moving her onward towards what Karin only knew as "The Elder." Who or what this spectre was, she had no idea. She had attempted to pry the other hollow traveling with them, the childish "Trigger" as she was called, for information. Halfway through their nighttime trek, however, she had become too tired to walk and passed out face first into the sand.

For a moment, Karin didn't know what the hollow's male partner would do upon seeing her give into her tiredness. To her surprise he said nothing, merely walked past Karin, scooped the hollow-girl up and threw her across his masculine shoulder, and silently motioned Karin to keep moving. It had been the same silent journey for the last several hours.

It was during this time that Karin had been slowly gathering up the courage to speak to Sonido. She wasn't a coward, but she wasn't stupid either; she knew her limits. And currently, without her zanpakuto she was completely at his mercy.

_Maybe since Trigger is passed out though, _Karin thought with a glimmer of hope in her thoughts, _He'll be more talkative..._ It was worth a shot; what was there to worry about? The desert looked empty and cold, no one within reach to hear them.

"You have been looking pensive for some time," The Vasto Lordes said out of nowhere, nearly scaring Karin out of her skin.

_Ahck! _Karin gasped mentally, _I'M the one who's supposed to be starting the conversation! _"Uhm," Karin made herself speak, "I just...I was curious about something." She framed innocently enough, looking straight ahead to seem less interested.

"And this would be?" The Vasto Lordes' gravel voice was almost an exasperated sigh.

"Why do you call your partner 'Trigger?'" Karin hadn't really thought about what she was going to ask him, but she decided that any talking was better than the silence between them.

There was a pause, and Karin didn't know if this had been the appropriate thing to ask the hollow. After another moment, he finally spoke,

"That is her name." He answered vaguely.

Karin groaned in her mind, _Should have seen that coming, _but she was determined to not let the conversation die there.

"But it's so odd," Karin refused to turn her head back to him, "I wouldn't think a hollow like her would have such a name."

"And Sonido is less odd of a name?" The Vasto Lordes questioned her immediately, but there was no malice in his words, only sparks of curiosity.

Karin felt more at ease with this statement. _He's not angry with me talking to him yet, _"I," the Shinigami was about to reveal what Trigger had told her, and in that instance wondered if that was such a good idea. _What if he...No, _Karin furrowed her brow, still looking ahead, _I won't be afraid. _"I was told that your name isn't actually Sonido."

It took Karin a moment to realize that she was the only one still walking in the sand. She stopped and turned in place, finally looking behind her.

Sonido had stopped in his tracks, the hollow-girl still draped asleep across his shoulder. His face was tilted downward, eyeing Karin with his dead ice blue eyes that were gleaming in rage from the blackness of his mask. Karin felt her body freeze with a look at those eyes.

"What did you say?" Sonido breathed, his rocky voice seething with a terrifying calm.

_So much for him not being angry, _Karin frowned. There was no point in denying what she'd just said now.

"Trigger told me that your name wasn't actually Sonido," She saw him shift his eyes furiously towards the body he was carrying and added quickly, "But she didn't tell me your real name."

Sonido glanced at her blankly; with that statement she could feel the anger slowly start to fade from his body. His muscles relaxed a little. "I see," He glanced again at Trigger, "Good."

Karin stared at him. _Is that it? "Good?" Why was he so mad just then? And why is he so calm now? _"I-I'm confused," Karin blurted aloud, drawing the Vasto Lordes' attention. "Why does it matter if I know your name?"

"Our names are our pride," Sonido explained in a monotone voice.

"But yours now is a nickname," Karin blurted in response, feeling her face flush but forcing herself onward with the conversation, "What does that mean? Why aren't you called by your real name anymore?"

It was clear from the way his mask tilted downward Sonido did not want to answer this question. Finally, he gave a small raspy huff, "It is forbidden for me to answer you."

Karin was the angry one now, angry that he was deliberately withholding information from her. Not to mention information that didn't seem that important to keep hidden. "That's all you're going to say? 'It's forbidden?' Come on, there has to be a reason-"

Sonido was immediately in front of her, her face at the level of his chest. Stunned, she didn't dare look up at his face, which was boring down upon her the iciest of stares, but she could feel the hot breath steaming from the nosehole of the mask onto her forehead.

"It," He breathed, "Is. Forbidden."

Karin gripped her bound wrist, which was starting to shake involuntarily. The tip of her nose was touching his ice cold chest. "Okay."

Sonido backed away in a step, "Do not forget you are the prisoner, and as such have no place to talk unless I say so; no room to question unless I let you." His voice spat angrily. It was the first time he had shown any sense of emotion towards her.

Nonetheless, Karin wasn't happy with his words, "Loud and clear," She mumbled through her gritted teeth.

Sonido nudged her forward with the bone that jutted from his elbow, "Go. We're almost there."

Karin walked forward, her heart tight with discourage, but she still felt she could talk to him. At least he didn't seem prone to harm her immediately as Trigger would have. "Why are you taking me to this 'Elder'?" She asked, a little more timidness in her voice.

Sonido's breath rattled with impatience behind his heavy mask, "You will know soon enoug-" his voice caught and he stopped in his step; Karin stopping with a startled huff, "-sooner than expected."

"What?" Karin looked around puzzled; they were still in the middle of nowhere. "Why did you stop?"

"We're here," Sonido murmured, lowering Trigger to the ground. "Get up," He said bluntly, poking the hollow-girl's stomach with the bone-sword protruding from his elbow.

"Where's here?" Karin objected loudly, "We're still in the middle of the desert. There's literally nothing around-"

"Good God," Trigger moaned, rolling over in the sand, her rose-colored eye glaring at the Shinigami, "do you ever shut up?" She glanced at her hollow partner, "Has she been babbling the entire time?"

"If you weren't passed out you would know!" Karin shouted, frustrated, her hands in fists at her side; still bound in the weird steel rope.

"Puh-leez," the hollow girl smirked evilly, "I was just getting some beauty rest," Her red eye gleamed, "something apparently you've been lacking in-"

"Silence," Sonido lifted her up off the sand and placed a hand near her mouth, "We're here."

"You've said that already," Karin noted, eyeing him suspiciously, "But where is here? There's just desert."

"Apparently you don't know where to look," Trigger smiled darkly, "Not surprising."

Karin was more confused than ever, so she looked to the Vasto Lordes for an answer, but to her surprise he was already walking ahead of her, knocking his fist against the air as if expecting to hit an invisible wall.

_What is he doing? _Karin raised an eyebrow as she watched him. _Maybe he's lost it; maybe the heat's got to him..._

"The entrance is hidden," Sonido explained, as if reading Karin's thoughts, "by a heavily issued reitsu decoder." He knocked his fist against the air again, slowly pacing in a line back and forth, "Unless you know where to look, the entrance to the Elder's lair is near impossible to locate."

"Reitsu decoder?" Karin thought aloud.

"It detects heavy reitsu in the air around it and adjusts the level of security based on the threat level," Trigger sighed in boredom.

"Meaning?"

The hollow-girl eyed Karin impatiently, "Meaning because our reitsu are so high, it's harder to find."

"Oh," Karin looked back at the Vasto Lordes. Sonido knocked on the air again, this time, there was a large THUNK sound, and his fist seemed to have met the hidden door. He knocked his fist three times against the hidden entrance and glanced back towards the others.

"Ah, here it is." He motioned for Trigger and Karin to move toward him. He ran his hand downward and grabbed what Karin assumed was the handle of the door and opened it. Suddenly a pitch black long rectangle appeared, as if cut from the very air itself.

"It _was _a door," Karin said in an amazed voice. Trigger rolled her eye,

"No really? You thought he was making it up? Geez," She kicked Karin in the back, pushing her forward. "You're pathetic."

Before Karin could object or respond to the hollow's actions, Sonido placed a cold hand on her shoulder and motioned her ahead of him, as he and the hollow-girl walked Karin through the doorway and into the bleak black inside the door.

The darkness gave way to a blinding light, and Karin had to shield her eyes with her bound hands until they had adjusted. They had stopped moving and were now standing in the middle of...something. Karin, once the blinding light had seemed to dim, slowly let her eyes open to where they were. She gasped audibly.

The door leading outside had shut behind them, and Karin found herself standing in the middle of a large dusty study, in between Sonido and Trigger. The room was moldy and the hardwood floors were covered in soot and dirt from the fireplace beside them. All around her were shelves: some newer, some falling apart, some crooked; all bookshelves holding dozens of stacks of papers and books. The books looked ancient; the parchment starting to yellow in the dimmed light. The dim lighting was provided by several oil lanterns that hung on the wall in between the shelves. It was a very crowded, claustrophobic room. The person who lived here had clearly not kept up with cleaning.

"It...it looks," Karin breathed, unsure how to phrase it, "Human."

The two hollows stared at her for a moment in silence, then glanced at each other.

"What an odd way to describe it," Sonido finally noted.

Trigger crinkled her nose in disgust, "Why would you say that?"

"It's just," Karin looked around, "I wouldn't imagine a hollow having a study like this-"

"Think we can't read?" Trigger was in Karin's face, "Think we're just dumb creatures?"

"Why would you need to read?" Karin noted, her face starting to crumble in anger.

"As if it's any of your-" Trigger was stopped by Sonido, who placed a hand over her mouth, looking down intently upon Karin.

"This place was modeled after a human's home," The Vasto Lordes replied simply, "Vasto Lordes are said to resemble humans very closely, and are hollows not created from the souls of your most tortured kind? We are the strongest, most evolved form of hollow. Would it not be unsafe to assume we have our own histories to record?"

Most of his speech, which Karin mentally noted was the longest she'd heard him speak on record, was lost to her ears except one piece of information. "The Elder is a Vasto Lordes?"

Sonido stopped talking, his head tilted slightly to the side, "One could say."

There was suddenly a rustling from another room, or what Karin thought was another room. She felt her body freeze, the sound was scattered, as if someone was walking quickly through a room. She also compared the sound to a million bugs racing across a wooden porch. In either case, the noise was frightening. She felt herself back up, smack against the chest of Sonido, and glance up at him, only to see the fierce blueness of his eyes stare back at her.

"Scared?" He offered, and she knew he was amused beneath his stark white mask.

"N-no," Karin replied frustrated, but her voice quaked. Trigger snickered,

"Oh-ho," the hollow-girl smirked, "The Shinigami's shaking," She teased.

The rustling grew louder and Karin felt her body clench; _why was she scared? Was it because of this noise? What was this noise? The Elder? _She blinked and frowned to herself, _It's called "The Elder" for a reason, Karin! _She reassured herself, _That means it's old, and probably tiny, and probably harmless-_

Several books flew against the wall as a door, which had previously been blocked by stacks upon stacks of papers and a few texts was opened, the door giving a loud creak as it knocked the piles and books aside. Karin moved her feet to avoid them being buried by the parchment avalanche that crashed down onto the floor.

_Since when do you block a doorway with all these paper-_

Her thoughts caught in her throat as she looked up and saw what was slowly creeping from around the doorway.

A bony solid white hand was gripping the edge of the door, the purplish veins showing against the thin veil of skin; its nails white, rounded, and polished. The hand wasn't what disturbed Karin; it was the _thing _attached to the hand.

The creature that came from the doorway was taller than Sonido, but its back was hunched forward; its spine curved like a crescent moon. Karin didn't know whether the Elder was a male or female; it looked very adroginous. It was unexplainedly thin, and Karin was sure if it hadn't been for the white plain smock over its body she would have been able to count its ribs. The smock was sleeveless and draped in an A-line to the ground, where she couldn't see its feet. The Elder's arm's were too long for a normal human's, the hands hanging at the creature's knees. It's arms were white as the smock, but purple and blue veins were visible from its wrists to the top of its shoulders. It's neck was short, but thin, the collar bone visible and defined. The outer skin of it had a rough texture, as if it was starting to decay, and the smell that was emitted from the Elder was enough to make Karin feel queasy.

What disturbed Karin the most though was its head. The short thin neck connected to a long thin head that was encased in a large, medeival-style mask of gold. The armor-looking helmet that covered its head let only a few wavy strands of white hair be visible at its neck. The mask was solid covering the back of its head, but had large slits in the front, to where Karin could see it's mouth and eyes-or rather eye. The Elder only had one eye, a large one with an iris of burnt orange. The mouth was cracked and looked like it constantly bled because of the chaffed skin, but Karin couldn't decide if that was the case or if it was because the Elder had just fed. In either case, the skinned lips covered what looked like a row of shark-like, needle teeth.

Karin visibly grimaced and moved closer against Sonido's chest; causing Trigger to look at her with a mixture of evil glee and confusion. Sonido said nothing, but she could hear his breathing as if his lungs were hollow. There was no heartbeat.

"Youuu," The Elder, or what Karin assumed was the Elder, looked at Sonido and Trigger with a look of apprehension, its voice like a slow ooze, "Youuu came to me."

"As promised," Sonido said curtly.

"Elder," Trigger greeted with a slightly quieter, begrudging voice. Karin wondered if the little hollow-girl was scared of the creature as well.

"Yesss," The Elder ignored Trigger, moving closer. With every inch it drew towards Sonido and Karin, she could hear rustling under the bottom of the Elder's dress, as if there were a million tiny legs underneath its robe. She didn't audibly let out her fright, but her eyes widened in terror. The mystery of what made the Elder move was terrifying her. The Elder's movements were slow and deliberate, as it drew closer to Karin and Sonido, "Thissss," It slithered, raising a thin arm, "What is thissss?"

"The Shinigami I told you of," Sonido gripped Karin's arms, presumably to hold her in place. _Told you of? _Karin stared up at him with sudden confusion. She wanted to move away from him and the Elder, but Karin's whole body by this point was so tired there was nothing she could do to fight him; merely stand in place as the aged hollow's hand rose toward her.

"Yesss," The Elder said slowly, and raised a bony hand to Karin's face, stroking her black hair with a single finger. Karin felt chills rise up her spine, "You are so young, Shinigami," It said with a little faster dialect, "So young, full of blood-"

"Have there been other news?" Sonido quickly interjected, "Of our kin?"

The Elder raised its head, and cocked it to the side; its eyeball rolled from one socket to the other as if unattached. Karin let out an audible gasp of disgust, causing the Elder to look down at her,

"Sssomething bother you, Shinigami?" It cooed, stroking her hair. Karin shook her head violently from side to side, forcing her mouth to stay closed lest she throw up from the disgusting smell of the creature and the sight of its decaying features. The Elder grinned a shark smile and looked back at Sonido, "Yesss, have you heard the newest?"

"No," Sonido replied simply, his grip remaining firm on Karin's arms.

The Elder had ran its hand back to Karin's face, a gesture that made the hair of her arms stand on end; it's fingernails were tiny knives smoothing across her cheek, "She has quite a lot of reitsu inside her," The Elder mused, and Karin didn't know whether to be scared more of its blade fingertips or the fact that she could detect this, "She will be fine..." It trailed off, its eye gazing at her with cold blankness.

"Elder," Sonido coughed roughly, as if to steer the conversation back to the situation at hand, "What is the newest?"

"Rumorsss, so many rumors," The creature hissed, seeming agitated that he was interupting its stare at Karin, "A gathering to discuss matterssss," The Elder moved closer, and Karin could smell the moldiness of its smock. It whispered something to Sonido, words Karin couldn't understand, but Karin could make out its last statement, a lingering whisper: "They detect betrayal."

Karin's eyes widened at this information, as did Trigger's, though the hollow-girl's face was less curious as agitated by the Elder's words. Sonido glance quickly down at Karin, his ice eyes focused on her.

"Let us continue this conversation elsewhere. Trigger," He turned to the small hollow, who gave him a heavy glance, "Escort the prisoner to the Second Level."

"What?" Trigger broke out in an enraged cry of disapproval, "Why am I-"

"Trigger," The Vastol Lordes' breath was sharper than the prickling fingernails on Karin's face, "Now."

The female hollow gripped Karin by the arm and forefully tugged her away from the Elder and Sonido, dragging her through the door that the monstrous hollow had come in from. Karin tried to dig her feet against the wood floor, but she was too exhausted and they gave out with almost no effort. She gave one last fleeting glance to Sonido and the Elder. She couldn't see the Elder's face, but Sonido's body language, his arms crossed pensively in front of him, suggested that what he was hearing wasn't appreciated news. The door shut bluntly in her face behind her, and Trigger swung her forward, against the cold stone wall. Karin flinched; they were now in a damp corridor, only a few scant lanterns lighting it.

"I can't believe," Trigger ran a delicate hand through the top of her rose hair, "he thinks I'm some kind of babysitter. Of all the-" She paused, seeing Karin's face, "What are you looking at?"

"The-the Elder," Karin stammered, gaining her balance and backing against the corridor wall, "is...does...," How could she phrase what she was trying to say?

"Out with it," Trigger sneered.

"I guess I have a lot of questions about it," Karin stumbled on her words, unsure what she could and couldn't ask.

"Well I don't have to answer any of them," Trigger said smugly, pushing her forward down the hall, "Now move. I hate drab halls like this."

Karin started walking forward, there barely enough room for her to manage through the hallway; Trigger walking behind her. "What is the Elder?" She felt bold in asking, but also felt Trigger wouldn't hurt her here. Not only that, but compared to the Elder, the little girl hollow was starting to shrink in her intimidation.

Trigger didn't say anything, but Karin had a plan to maybe get her to talk.

"I mean, is the Elder a he or a she?" She looked back at the hollow-girl, "Because by the dress I would think she could do better in regards to fashion-"

"The Elder isn't a girl, you moron!" Trigger snapped, her red hair swishing in her face.

_Ha, _Karin dared not smile but she felt a rush of power, _let's see how deep she plays into this 'questionaire' game..._

"Oh? So the Elder is male?" She asked, playing up her innocence.

"We don't know what the Elder is gender-wise," Trigger frowned, "The Elder is so old it doesn't really have a gender any longer."

"But it's a hollow right?" Karin questioned.

"Duh," Trigger's pinks were flushed, "It's a Vasto Lordes in fact. One of the strongest among us."

A word in that sentence perked Karin's interest suddenly, a word that Trigger said. _"One of the strongest among us..."_

"Wait," Karin spun around. _She couldn't be..._"Did you say 'us?' As in you're a Vasto Lordes too?" It didn't seem possible. It couldn't be possible. _But she just said-_

Trigger interupted her thoughts with a swift kick to the shins, causing Karin to crumple to her knees. She cursed under her breath at the pain; she had kicked her pretty hard.

"None. Of. Your. Business," Trigger grinned evilly, grabbing her by the arm and lifting her to her feet. "Now keep moving." She shoved her forward; Karin's legs throbbing with pain, but she kept limping forward to avoid a second kick.

"How many of you are there?" Karin dared to ask, looking ahead.

Trigger gave her an incredulous look, "I threaten you within an inch of your being to shut up," she breathed in an astonished voice, "And yet you still question me!" Her voice wasn't harsh, but seemed now more amused. There was a pause, "You're not going to stop asking me are you?"

Karin gave her a flicker of a glance. "No."

The hollow exhaled annoyed, "Figures."

The corridor led to a set of stone stairs that were chipped and worn down, as if they'd been heavily used. Karin raised her foot gingerly to the first step; the stairs were slick. She looked up and saw the ceiling was leaking water onto the stairs.

"Go on," Trigger nudged her, her voice childish, "What's the hold up?"

"I'm going, I'm going," Karin reassured her, slowly walking up the stairs. The staircase of stone spiraled into the air, leading to a large wooden door in the ceiling. "Can I open it?" Karin looked down at the hollow, who nodded as if she was asking if the sky was blue.

The wooden door was heavier than she expected, but Karin lifted it and threw it forward. The door's weight allowed it to open to the side, crashing down with a heavy CLUNK. Karin slowly crawled into the hole and found she could stand; the floor was hardwood as before.

This had to be the "Second Level" Sonido was referring to. The room was larger than the one below, and had a few bookshelves, but most of the space was filled with artifacts: stacks of dried skulls and bones, pottery, antique rugs rolled up and squished against the wall; a large oak table was in the center of the room, next to a cast iron pot. A few rolled out cots were near it, the fabric torn and aged, starting to unravel in the corners.

"You know I've never thought hollows to have a sense for interior decorating," Karin noted with delicate sarcasm as she stood up in the new space.

"The Elder didn't design this space initially," Trigger offered, glancing around the room with Karin. "Supposedly years and years ago, several Shinigami tried to set up base here in Hueco Mundo and created this place as a hideout." She kicked a skull across the floor; it slid and rocked against the cast iron pot, "Of course, they didn't last long once the Elder caught wiff of their presence."

"Really?" Karin glanced uneasily at the hollow-girl.

"Yeah, you can guess what happened to them," Trigger smirked and Karin felt her stomach lurch. Trigger noticed her sick expression and gleamed in triumph, "The place was so nicely constructed though, the Elder didn't see fit to let it go to waste."

Karin felt naucious as she looked across the room at the piles of bones. She focused her eyes on the wooden table, "How did she learn the spell to hide this place though?"

"Learn?" Trigger laughed, "The Elder _made _the spell that's on this lair! Those Shinigami weren't smart enough to hide this place to begin with. The fools," She grinned, "Ah, but that was centuries ago..."

Karin looked around the room in awe, _Centuries? It makes sense though, _her eyes noticed the rolled up rugs, _This place does have a feudal Japan style to it..._

"Why am I here?" Karin suddenly blurted out to Trigger, her eyes narrowed as she spun around to face the hollow.

Trigger stared at her with a blank expression, "What?"

"Why did you take me here?" Karin gave the girl an irritated stare, "Are you planning on feeding me to the Elder or something?"

Trigger, sensing a vulnerability in the situation, smiled mischieviously, "Wouldn't you like to know, girl." She flashed her pearly white teeth, "That's for me to know and for you to find out I'm afraid."

"That's not fair!" Karin growled.

"You're our prisoner!" Trigger snapped in rebuttal, "You don't get to decide what's fair and what's not!" She crossed her arms at her childish chest, "We've been awfully nice to you so far, girl, so I don't expect you to ask anymore questions while you're here. Got that? Or I'll personally see to it that you're incapacitated so much I have to feed you with a spoon for you to survive," Her eyes narrowed evilly, "And if you think I'm spoon feeding you..." She finished the sentence with a bark of a laugh and started to crawl back down the stairs to the lower level.

Karin ran to the hole in the floor, "Wait! Where are you going?"

Trigger looked up at her incredulously, "You think I'm going to stay up here and watch you this entire time? You're full of it, kid." She looked around the Second Level, "Feel free to play around with anything up here. Of course," She glance up at Karin warningly, "I'm not sure how much in here is dangerous or not, so watch out," She said the sentence with a playful venom. "I'll be back later," She started to walk down the stairs, but paused and shot another glance up at Karin, grabbing the handle to the door simultaneously, "And don't try any funny business! The door here only leads back to that main room we were in, and any doors on this level won't lead anywhere without the right means of opening them."

Karin looked around the room quickly. "Wait, what doors?" She hadn't seen any doors in this room.

The young Shinigami looked down just in time to hear and see the door slam shut under her, leaving her alone on the Second Level.

_Heh, _Trigger thought to herself as she climbed down the wet stairs, _Serves the brat right...thinking she can come in here and be given special treatment! What an idiot! Ha-_

She opened the door back into the study and closed it behind her with a satisfying crash. Sonido and the Elder both looked towards her with curious expressions.

"Where is the girl?" Sonido asked immediately, his voice laced with anger.

"Calm yourself," Trigger waved her hand dismissively, situating herself on the edge of a broken bookshelf, "She's on the Second Level. She's not going anywhere."

Sonido did not look convinced, "I don't like the idea of her being left to her own devices up there."

"What's the worst she could do?" Trigger entertained the answer to this, but dared not say it aloud, "She can only hurt herself; she can't do any damage to the structure of this place."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Sonido added with a stern growl.

_He's taking an awful interest in our prisoner as of late, _Trigger thought maliciously, but once again, she dared not say her thoughts aloud, "What's it matter if she dies or not? As long as she's here, she's luring the Kurosaki man here."

"Maybe, maybe not," The Elder chimed in a chanting voice, moving toward a bookshelf and straightening the papers beside it, to not much avail. Trigger glanced at the Elder, then back to Sonido,

"What is Elder talking about?"

"We may have to act sooner than expected," Sonido rasped in a gravelly voice. Trigger's head spun from the Elder to Sonido. He continued, "The Vasto Lordes are meeting...gathering as a collective."

Trigger averted her eyes, her voice dropping lower, "I suppose you're going to see them."

"I have to," Sonido said definitively. He turned to face the door leading back into the desert. "Elder will stay here with you and the girl. I will go and see what this is about."

The young looking hollow's eyes shifted darkly, "Liar. You already know what this is about."

The Vasto Lordes gazed at her, but said nothing. The Elder tilted its head in curiosity at the two, but merely teetered back and forth in silence. For a moment the trio was silent, then Sonido opened the door into the outside and vanished into the darkness.

There was another second of silence, and then Trigger turned to the Elder. Its thin neck tilted towards the smaller hollow, the eyeball sliding from one side of its head to the other.

"While he is gone," It said in a slow drone, licking its putrid purple lips, "Shall we entertain the Sssshinigami?"

_**I hope you liked this chapter! It was a little different than what I usually write for thsi fic.**_

_**Next chapter...things start to set in motion, and it's not looking like a good future for Karin!**_

_**Thank you again for all the fantastic support with this story! You are all wonderful!**_

_**-Romania Black**_


	48. Exit Strategies for Scapegoats

Ahh, schoolwork has kept me from getting hardly anything done, but just in time for Halloween, we have this chapter! woo hoo! It's quite...spooky? haha, A few notes before reading:

1. If you haven't read Bleach chapter 424 online, PLEASE do! It gives me so much more hope for this story, or rather an element of it haha, becoming reality!

2. My DeviantART account has new Karin artwork up! It's kind of HitsugayaXKarin centric, but if you like that, or want to see art for the chapters so far, check it out!

3. I had so many GREAT reviews of the last chapter! I'm so glad you liked it. Special thanks to the following:

**T-shirt** (Thank you! haha, I'm glad you found that funny!), **tasumichan** (That's great! I'm glad you liked the chapter, and I hope this one keeps you just as interested!), **Vetaglmela** (Ah, I'm really happy that my writing can be a place to escape pressure...we all need that sometime. And YES, I did draw a picture of Karin with the Elder. The Elder design turned out just how I wanted it, so please check it out. I hope you have fun too with your Halloween!), **Turtle-chan in Blue **(Your comments never cease to make me either smile or laugh out loud, this one doing the latter...it's a good thing there's a shortage of hollow lizards...otherwise that could be a problem, huh?), **bloodyrose1294** (hmm, I think that might be another fanfic, but even if not, poor Karin doesn't know how to do such things yet. But I agree, I hope she escapes soon too...read on I suppose is my best advice *wink wink*), **Nemane-chan** (Yay! I'm so happy you like it! I hope you like this chapter as well!), **KarinKurosakiHitsugaya913** (Oh good! I wasn't used to such a long one-scene piece in a while with this story, but I'm glad it didn't seem out of place), **MoOmOo753951 **(Ah, thank you! I love writing the little poems at the beginning of the chapters so it's great to hear that people actually read them, haha! And thank you, the Elder is a really scary character, but it'll be fun to write about as the story goes on. I hope you'll like it.), and **stormcrowley **(Thank you for your compliments! I'm really excited that there's parts I've figured out for this story that haven't been revealed to the reader yet. I can't wait for them to unfold these next several chapters...I hope you all like them!).

Enjoy the story (HAPPY HALLOWEEN!),

Romania Black

**Chapter Forty-Eight**

**gathering slowly  
inching grains of time  
death consumed land  
only this moon is alive  
**

_Great...so now what? _was the first thing Karin thought after Trigger had left the second level of the Elder's home. Alone now, it was the first time Karin had been without supervision in Hueco Mundo.

_She said something..._Karin mulled the words over in her mind, her head bent low, against the fist she'd brought to her face. _There were doors..._Karin's head suddenly perked up. _Doors here! That's what she said! _She let her eyes search quickly around the space.

The second floor of the abode was spacious, and littered with junk and antiques, but the young Shinigami knew that beneath these piles had to be some kind of exit to this place; or at least a form of escape. And for the first time she was alone, and had the opportunity to sneak out without anyone catching or stopping her.

_There was a door behind those stacks of paper,_ Karin started to move aside grouped piles of books, rolled rugs, and stacked empty wire cages, _so why shouldn't something like that be here? _

Suddenly she stopped in her tracks, a metal cage tipping over on its side. Her eyes widened.

Footsteps. There was a sound of footsteps trudging from below, heading her way. Karin snapped her head toward the door in the floor. _They're coming back, _She thought with an unusual calm in her mind.

Karin quickly started to reorganize the cages into a stack, the books back into a clump, and the rolled rugs were returned to their place against the wall; Karin lining them up with the dustless squares from where they'd been lying so long.

_I can't let them know I'm escaping yet..._Karin thought with a heavy heart. _It will be no good until I figure out where an escape is. _She moved away from where she'd been searching, toward the black iron kettle. _Maybe I can coax information out of one of them..._

The wooden door to the second level flung open, Trigger's bright red hair popping up from the hole in the floor.

"Ahh," The hollow girl smiled faintly, "You're still here."

Karin gave her a frown, feigning ignorance, "Where did you think I'd go?"

"I-" Trigger started but silenced herself, eyeing Karin curiously, "-nevermind. Now that Sonido's gone, I-"

_Sonido's gone? _Karin tried to seem unaffected by this information, but her eyes widened slightly at the news.

"-think that it's time I lay down some ground rul-"

"Come herrre," A sickly voice slithered from below to cut off Trigger mid-sentence, "She can ssstay up there for now."

"Wha-but I-," Trigger looked below her and then let out a frustrated huff, "Damn." She spun her head up and glared at Karin, her voice turning falsely sweet, "Make yourself at home, darling." She grinned with as thick of sarcasm as Karin had ever seen, "I'll be back to check up on you shortly." She let her eyes linger unsettlingly on the young Shinigami, then they vanished back below, the large wooden door slamming down heavily.

Karin waited a few seconds until the footsteps of the female hollow vanished, then she took a long loud sigh of relief.

_Thank goodness! _Karin wiped her brow, _Now...while she's gone...I don't have much time, but...Sonido's not here for some reason so..._

Karin scoured the room frantically, looking for any sign of openings or faint traces of an outline for a door. Running her hands along the rough grain of the wall, she was desperate to locate any type of exit. Anything that would allow her escape from the Elder, from Trigger, and from this oddly human, but utterly frightening prison.

* * *

Toshiro Hitsugaya in his years as being a Shinigami and a captain of the 13 court guards had never once been to Hueco Mundo. Now looking around the desolate white sand as they ran across the landscape, it was clear he wasn't missing much.

"Keep your spiritual pressure down, Mr. Hitsugaya," Nel cautioned him, as she ran alongside him, "The less hollows we attract to us, the better." She glanced out of the corner of her eye at Ichigo, running on the other side of Toshiro, who had not noticed her action.

"I know that," Toshiro growled, eyeing the female Arrancar agrily. _Even SHE doesn't address me properly..._

"Maybe we shouldn't have returned you to your former state," Ichigo gave Nel a frown, "Then you wouldn't have to work so hard to hide your spiritual pressure."

Nel laughed lightly, "It's no trouble for me, really," She gave Ichigo a small, innocent smirk, "Besides, if I was in my child form, you'd have to carry me on your back. That would be more strenuous for _you_."

"I hate to interrupt," Toshiro said in an agitated voice, "but where exactly are we running to? That seems to be all we've done since we've arrived here."

Nel eyed the captain, "There are two locations of hollow history and research in Hueco Mundo. One is in Las Noches, where Aizen gathered all his information into a computer system for filing purposes." She glanced back and forth from Toshiro to Ichigo, "The system hasn't been maintained, so hacking into it may prove easier."

Toshiro nodded his head silently, but Ichigo glanced over with a furrowed brow, "But Las Noches is huge...there's bound to be hollows all over the place."

"Not necessarily," Nel said softly, huffing slightly as they ran, "After Aizen left Hueco Mundo many of them left the confines of the palace and dispersed. It's been slightly chaotic since his leaving, but there's a good possibility the palace will be unguarded."

"Good possibility you say," Toshiro glanced at her skeptically. It was Ichigo's turn to be silent. The captain continued, "One question though," His teal eyes narrowed, "You said there were two locations of hollow information. What's the other?"

To this question, Nel immediately stared at him dumbfounded; Ichigo turned to look at her too, a feeling of dread rising in his stomach as did. She looked positively mortified at his inquiry.

"Nel?" Ichigo asked hesitantly.

"I'm fine," Nel blinked and was thrown out of her trance-like stare, her voice colder. "Mr. Hitsugaya," she finally stated breathlessly, "The second location I've never myself been to."

"Why not?" Toshiro asked, not affected by her sudden coldness to his question.

Her eyes darkened, "It is the home of the Elder," she said as her lips stretched thin, as if muttering a curse, "and unless you are a Vasto Lordes...or have a wish to meet death...no one ever goes there."

* * *

Karin had to delay her search for an exit momentarily, as Trigger returned to the second level, leaving something below the opening in the floor, on the step where Karin couldn't see it.

"Like your new home, sweetie?" Trigger said in an obviously fake voice, climbing into the second level.

"It's not my home," Karin glared, crinkling her nose, "It's unorganized and disgusting."

"Well, hollows aren't exactly concerned with cleaning," Trigger replied unenthusiastically.

"How long has the Elder stayed here?" Karin asked immediately.

The hollow girl groaned, "Can I not be around you more than five seconds without you asking some dumbass question?"

"Probably not." Karin said bluntly.

Trigger stared at her incredulously, then sighed, "I don't know. There, how about that?"

Karin looked around the room, "I've noticed it's obsessed with collecting things."

The hollow snickered, amused, "Took you how long to figure that out?"

"Why does it want all these things? What meaning are they to it?" Karin asked the hollow girl, who ran a thin hand through her red bangs,

"Eh, it's just...greedy, you could say. The Elder has always loved to hoard away items from others, collecting relics and such," She stopped and gave Karin a harsh stare, "Why do you care about what the Elder does?"

"I don't know," Karin gave Trigger a threatening smirk, "There, how about that?"

She stared blankly at Karin for a second then, in a breath of frustration, lifted a thin metal tray from below the opening to the second floor, upon which sat two small white rocks.

"Here," the hollow girl said emotionlessly, dropping the tray to the ground. One of the small white objects rolled across the hardwood floor. She plopped down in front of Karin, her thin legs criss-crossed to match how her arms lay across her chest. "Eat up."

"Seriously?" Karin stared at the tray. "What is it?"

"Humans call them rice cakes apparently," Trigger gave her a bland look, "Heard of them?"

"These," Karin stared with disgust at the miniscule white boulders, "are _not _rice cakes."

"It's what was in the pantries of Las Noches," Trigger looked up at her, irritated, "Obviously the former Shinigami Aizen and his comrades were stocked up on food."

"But," Karin stared from Trigger to the so-called rice cakes, "That was two _years _ago! These are crumpled and hard as rocks-I can't eat them!"

"You know, you take so much for granted that we offer you," The hollow girl sighed, her pink eye flashing, "It's food isn't it? Shall I go kill a little hollow lizard for you? To think I would do such a thing for you! Ridiculous," She growled.

"I can't eat that." Karin said defiantly.

A tiny vein twitched on the top of Trigger's forehead, "Then I guess you'll starve then, huh?"

"I'm not hungry," Karin proudly stated, her arms crossed at her chest in a similar fashion to the hollow's.

"Fine, forget this." Trigger suddenly stood up. "You _should _starve, Shinigami," She yelled at Karin coldly, causing her to flinch a tick, "That way, I won't have to keep on kissing up to your ass like you're something of importance."

The door to the second level slammed loudly as Trigger left Karin alone with her two crumbling patties of rice. Karin glanced down at them considerably.

_I'm not that hungry anyway, _she thought slowly, but was interrupted by the loud long growl of her stomache. _Damn..._"Oh well," She muttered with mild disgust, lifting a rice cake off the tray and towards her mouth. She nibbled a bite of it. It tasted soured and moldy, but as if the mold had been there so long it was no longer mold, but something else entirely. She knew she'd be sick after eating it, but forced the rice cake down. It was gritty and sandy, but it went down her throat nonetheless. She shuddered and looked at the rice cake that had rolled across the ground. _Am I willing to try and eat anot-_

Her thought stopped midway when she noticed something beside the rice cake. Besides the enormous, ceiling-length pile of bones and skulls accumulating beside it, she noticed the edge of something, as if a sliver of the paneling was lifted slightly away from the wall.

Karin's felt her throat tighten in an adrenaline rush.

It was the outline of a door.

* * *

The colliseum. It once had a proper name, but the Vasto Lordes that designed it had long past from existence, becoming grains of sand on the surface of Hueco Mundo. Since the millennia ago when it was forged though, the Vasto Lordes used it as a hidden court; a judgement hall, an arena for supremacy brawls, a gathering courtyard for the Vasto Lordes to meet and deliberate.

It only was still standing because such ocassions rarely ocurred.

In fact, Sonido carefully pondered as he walked down the hallway, it had been exactly one hundred years since the last convening of the Vasto Lordes, and even then...some had not shown their faces to the gathering.

He pushed past the first set of thick stone doors, glided down the corridor to the second set of stone doors and used the bone-swords jutting from his elbows to open them. Finally, the second corridor, where the masks of fallen hollows of all different levels of strength lined the hallway. Gillian, Adjuchas, even fellow Vasto Lordes; their masks bore empty mouths and eyes and filled whoever walked down this very hall with a dread and a dark knowledge: that if you enter here, you may not return. Your mask may join the wall.

Sonido reached the final door and placed his hand on the gritty pale sand-colored stone. He plushed forward and it opened with a deep, rumbling groan. The Vasto Lordes stepped into the darkness. Only a small circular beam of moonlight shown in the middle of the floor.

The doors closed with a loud slam behind him, and Sonido was encased in black lack of light. His voice echoed throughout the dark arena,

"I have come, my kin."

A voice, cold and solitary eluded from on high in the dark colliseum,

"State thy name, banished kin."

He almost stated his actual name, but caught the letters in his throat with a bow of his head, "Sonido."

A moment of silence. "Where is the other?"

"On the lookout." Sonido's voice was dark and raspy, "Pertaining to the news I bring to my kin."

The silence around him was thick, but finally the cold voice calmly replied through the blackness, "Very well."

There was a snap, twig-like bones cracking, and the flames of a hundred candles suddenly illuminated the colliseum with a large, dim orange glow. Several small hollows with single-flames atop their head scurried past Sonido's feet as a large bony hand reached for the door, opening it slowly so they could exit the arena. Sonido noticed the hand and instantly dropped to his knees, bowing low.

"Great King," he dipped his head and slowly lifted it, glancing up.

"Welcome, brother," The bony handed hollow shifted its hand to motion for Sonido to rise and follow him.

Sonido slowly rose from his knees, his eyes intent on the Great King as they walked, the other always a step ahead of him. The Great King was as ominous as he'd ever been. He was tall, close to seven feet in height, but thing, as if the thinnest layer of flesh covered his bones. His neck had no flesh, pure white bone connected to a skull head a black cloth wrapped tightly like a glove over where hair should be. Its eyes were blank and black, hollowed out with a glint of red glow from somewhere within the skull.

"I see you've taken to the fashion within the world of the Living," Sonido said with a hesitation, carefully articulating and choosing his words, "If I may say so, my lord."

The Great King, despite his tall and frail appearance, was dressed in a snug, black suit with a black undershirt, no tie. There was a trace of the tiniest of pale gray pinstripes that could only be seen in the moonlight.

"Yes," The Vasto Lordes said in his cold voice, "I have become fond of this style these humans have come to recently partake. It's...how do they say...professional?" His voice dripped, his vocabulary picked elegantly.

"You tread too close to the mortal coil," A squeak of a voice, like nails on a stone grate, echoed from the fifth row of the colliseum. Sonido turned his eyes to see where the voice originated, but its owner had already vanished from sight.

_She's as elusive as ever, _Sonido mused in his head.

The Great King gave a lighter, tiny laugh, "I admire their presentation of the flesh," He quipped as he took his seat at a throne positioned on a high rise in the colliseum. Beside the throne were three other empty seats spread out but in equal positions, and a larger, more spacious than the surrounding rows, bleacher on the step of stone below these thrones. "I do not consider that being close to any coil."

Sonido took his place on the stone bleacher below the thrones, sitting patiently. He could feel the spiritual pressures around him. They were all gathered in the colliseum; it was only a matter of time before they made their appearances.

The Great King of the Vasto Lordes did not seem as patient as Sonido. "Please, my brothers and sisters," He called in a cool voice, "Let us gather now for this occassion."

There was a shuffling of feet, grating of stone against bone, and the rising of spiritual pressures as Sonido saw the other Vasto Lordes come to the gathering area of the colliseum. The Vasto Lordes had dwindled in their numbers over the last centuries, somewhat due to the presence of the Shinigami, and somewhat due to the presence of themselves.

"I call this gathering to order," The thin, suit-clad Vasto Lordes tapped the tips of his bony hands together, "Kin," He turned his head to Sonido, "State thy names."

"Sonido," the Vasto Lordes spoke from the bleacher.

"Heeheeheehee," A high-pitched squeal erupted from the roof of the colliseum. There was the sound of a body dropping to the ground. Sonido turned his head to see her standing over him. "So the worm's crawled back to us." She ran a thin finger across his cheek, her yellowing fingernail like a razor against her cheek, turning her head to the Great King, "Virvi Medusa."

A giant mass of a Vasto Lordes oozed next to Sonido. He was shorter than Sonido, but massive, rolls of orange flesh composed it's being, except for it wearing a pair of white pants. His face was enveloped in a thick mask with a red stripe running down the left side of his face. Rolls of flesh overflowed at the chin of his mask.

"Gulo Glotollo," the Vasto Lordes slurped, his overly large tongue flapping as he spoke.

A thick wind rolled through the colliseum; some of the candles blew out, and a dark figure lowered onto the second throne. This Vasto Lordes was dressed in a simple dark cloak, tattered and torn, the hollow's face was shrouded by a black veil, but part of it's skull-like mask was visible; the dim purple light of its eye casting a glare on the attendents. From beneath the cloak lifted its arm, a skeletal puppet attached where normally a hand rests. The mouth of the puppet slowly moved its mouth, twisting its head toward the Great King.

"Elsa," The puppet's voice was a whisper, "Great North Queen."

The Great King bowed his head, "Laviathon Luisenbarn, Great South King." He looked around the group, "Where is the Great East Ruler? Where is the Elder?"

"Oooh," the Vasto Lordes Virvi Medusa cooed viciously, "The Elder is the most reclusive of us all. Why should it show up now?"

"Strange though," Laviathon scratched his chin, "has no one contacted the Elder?"

Sonido said nothing. Virvi laid her head against his shoulder, "So, where is our other little exile? Too proud to show her little head?"

"None of your concern," Sonido replied in a dead voice.

"Oooh," she smirked, "You're so bitter and ruthless," A thin snake-like tongue slithered out of the mouth of her mask and ran down Sonido's cheek, "I _love _it."

"It matters not where the Other is," Laviathon interrupted coldly. "The time has come to initiate our plans, my kin." He let his bony fingers trace the outside of his face as if in thought, "Virvi, please, begin sharing your information to the brethren."

* * *

"Sonido's been gone a while," Trigger paced downstairs, her arms crossed at her chest. "What a pain..."

"Patience," The Elder was scrolling through a stack of papers, reading them carefully, its voice a slow lull, "Sssoon he shall return."

"Easy for you to say," the hollow-girl mumbled under her breath. "You've been reading that for a while, Elder," She observed aloud, plopping onto a pile of papers, her hands holding up her head.

"Ssso much to read," it stated half-absent minded, "So much to know..."

"So little time," Trigger sighed in boredom, as if expecting the words. "I get it." She looked toward the doorway, "I'm going to check up on our prisoner...I'll be back."

"Sssend her down," The Elder sneered, "She can entertain usss."

The hollow girl laughed grimly, "You'll regret that idea, I can assure you."

Trigger left the room, as the Elder kept going through the papers, turning them over slowly in its hands. Suddenly a blood curdling scream of rage echoed through the abode. The Elder cocked its head, the eyeball sliding from one socket to the other in curiosity as the storm of footsteps thrashing downstairs was heard. The door slammed open as Trigger rushed back into the room,

"Elder!" Her face was flushed with anger.

"I shall take an inquisition into your frustration," it said with a voice that hinted of a snicker.

Trigger shook with fury, "She's gone! The brat is _gone_!"

* * *

Nell tapped her fingers against the computer panel, the lime glow of the screen reflecting off her pale face. She gave a small frustrated sigh, as Ichigo folded his arms across his chest, leaning against the doorframe behind her. "Any luck?"

"Not yet," She sighed impatiently, "Aizen clearly made it an important task to guard this information."

Ichigo tilted his head, "Didn't you say once you were looking for the Vasto Lordes?"

"Yes," Nel kept her eyes on the screen, "We were not particularly successful."

"I guess that's not a bad thing," Ichigo scratched his head, looking at her somberly. "Still, I-" Suddenly he stopped, his eyes wide in surprise. The pause drew Nel's attention from the screen, as she turned to look behind herself at him.

"What is it, Ichigo?"

"Toshiro's left Las Noches," Ichigo fumbled, moving away from the doorframe.

"What? Why?" Nel raised an eyebrow in frustration, "What does that fool think he's doing?"

"No, no," Ichigo raised a hand to dismiss her, his eyes wide. "It's-"

Nel cut him off, "_What_?"

Ichigo turned toward the doorway, his eyes full of a combination of relief, terror, and panic.

"It's Karin. I can sense her spiritual pressure."

_**I hope you liked this chapter! I'm sorry if it seemed short at the end, but I wanted to have this done for you by this weekend!**_

_**Next chapter, a reunion that's...well, I'll leave for the next chapter! **_

_**Thank you again for all the fantastic support with this story! I truly am grateful for all your amazing comments and suggestions!**_

_**Happy Halloween! **_

_**-Romania Black**_


	49. Prelude to the Murderous Truth

Ahh, so here it is! I know it's taken forever, and I'm sorry. School has weighed down on me more than ever, and I've just not had the time to write. This chapter has also taken me a while because I'm gearing up for the 50th Chapter special! I'm really excited about what chapter 50 has in store for you, and so this chapter sets it up (quite nicely I think). It was a LOT of fun to write, so I hope you enjoy it!

Two notes really quick:

1. Check out my Deviant Art page if you get a chance. I have some art up for the story and a lot of other stuff too when you get the chance. My name on there is Romania Black too, so I'm pretty easy to find.

2. I had a lot of great comments/reviews for the last chapter, so I want to give thanks! SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING: **HitsuKarin Lurver, Bloody Crystal black rose, AmoreVampiresv-v, WingedHero540, SwirlzSmile, fanimeLexis, Turtle-chan in Blue **(Ahhh, why didn't I think of that? Unfortunately the Elder's stove's been on the brink as of late...and good help in Hueco Mundo is so hard to find...darn.), **stormcrowley **(I'm glad you told me about the Vasto Lordes plural/singular issue. I just love writing Vasto Lordes! I'm sure you'll be catching me do it from time to time too...I'm just addicted to the word, ahaha! As for how this ties into the Nobles? Oh...that's for next chapter, bwahaha, although; this chapter will answer some things about the Elder, and set them up for the next chapter. I hope you like it and what's to come!), **theloverofanime** (I'm happy you're caught up! Well, Toshiro just couldn't wait to go rescue Karin, right? haha, you'll see this chapter why Karin was kidnapped, and what happens between her and Toshiro...just teasing, aren't I?), and **T.H.E.S.R. **(Unfortunately for Nel and Ichigo, there aren't too many Vasto Lordes left, so when they gather it's easy to keep track of numbers. As for Karin being kidnapped, that will slowly be coming to a close soon, but you'll see how in the upcoming chapters. I hope you like them! And thank you for your kind words.)

Thank you all SO SO Much for the reviews! They made me smile and really think about how I wanted to do these next chapters. You all are amazing and a great inspiration. I hope you have a great weekend!

Enjoy the story,

Romania Black

**Chapter Forty-Nine**

**Our hands that barely touch  
Spark more than the strongest flame**

Toshiro Hitsugaya had sensed it from outside the Las Noches gates. It was like a whisper of a voice, the tiniest lingering scent of leftover food after a meal; it was the growing presence of reitsu that the captain was quite familiar with. It was Karin Kurosaki's spiritual pressure.

Springing to his feet, he took off without hesitation. He had been advised, though he would have argued _ordered_, to remain on the lower level to watch for attacking hollows by Nel and Ichigo. As such, he had easier access to detecting spiritual pressures from the area surrounding them. How long would it take Karin's reitsu to reach the pair above him? He was not patient enough, nor trusting of the Arrancar, to wait and find out. Toshiro ran out the archway into Las Noches and flew into the white barren desert.

Though the moon shone brightly overhead, it was still nearly pitch black on the sand, making it hard for Toshiro to see, but he kept running towards her spiritual energy, which was gliding across his senses like a beacon of light down the trails of his skin.

_Run Run Run_, he chanted to himself, shunpo making his steps farther and farther apart as he flash stepped, _Run faster, Run faster, Run faster-_

He seemed to run for hours, but it may have been only minutes. That's when he saw her. The spiritual energy connected to the physical presence. Though her hair was camouflaged by the night darkness, he saw her pale skin, the whites of her eyes. Karin Kurosaki was not fifty feet away from him.

_Karin, _Toshiro couldn't help but stare at her. She looked exhausted, her eyes weary and her clothes dirty, but the moment her eyes met his she gained a sudden burst of energy and ran faster towards him. Toshiro let the adrenaline rush of the moment take hold, and he grabbed her body and flung it against him in an embrace.

_She's not dead, _he thought to himself as he held her near him, the image of her body prone like Momo's disappearing from his thoughts. He drew himself away to look at her face. "Karin! You-" He suddenly realized where they were and what he was doing and pushed himself away from her in embarrassment, his cheeks pink."Erm-Kurosaki! You're okay." He glanced at her up and down quickly, his brow furrowing, "Why are you dressed as an Arrancar?"

The young Shinigami seemed dazed for a second from his impromptu hug, and forced herself to gather her thoughts. _What the...why did he-_"T-Toshiro-I-" She breathed heavily, "Yes," she finally answered, "It's a long story-"_ They had to get out of here...we don't have that much time-_

"Why were you running?" Toshiro grabbed her hand and started to lead her with him, "Here," He advised her, "Flash step with me and we'll talk as we go."

"But I," Karin paused, her face exhausted, "I don't think I can go that fast-"

"Don't worry," Toshiro interrupted and lifted her into his arms, bridal style, "You're no bigger than me, so it shouldn't be a problem to carry you."

"Oh-Okay," Karin stammered, somewhat confused as to the position she was in. _Is he okay? _She asked herself, _I've never seen him like this..._

"Now," Toshiro started to run back towards Las Noches, "Where have you been? What are you running from?"

"They're Vasto Lordes," Karin's eyes bore into his, and she saw his teal irises swell in horror and rage,

"_They're_? As in more than one?" His voice didn't falter, but his heart felt as if it would implode from shock. _More than one of these hollows? This is bad-_

"But the strongest one left," Karin paused, hesitating, "or...the one I thought was the strongest. Anyway," Her voice was tense, "Where are we going?"

"Back to Las Noches with Ichigo and Nel. They're trying to hack-" Toshiro replied, wanting to continue his questioning of these Vasto Lordes, but Karin's scream broke him off.

"ICHIGO?" Her eyes were wide in terror, "He can't see me-"She tugged at the neck of her body suit "-like this!" She gripped the collar of his kimono, "Toshiro, he can't!"

"He already knows," Toshiro countered, in a quieter, stern but almost apologetic tone.

Karin stared at him a solid second before her eyes narrowed, "_What_? You mean you-"

"Yes," Toshiro said flustered, "I had to tell him before we came here...Karin, you should have seen this coming-"

"Oh _no_," Karin groaned, her arms covering her face, "Toshiro, how _could _you! How am I supposed to face h-" Her yelling at him was broken off mid-way as she snapped her head behind them. Toshiro felt the hair on the back of his neck rise.

"Karin?"

"They're coming up fast," Karin's voice was shaky.

Toshiro whipped his head to her, "Wait, _what's _coming u-"

The blow of a muscular arm smashed into the side of Toshiro's face, blindsiding him against a white dune. Karin flew past him into the sand as well. She quickly looked up to see the striker, her face gaunt with horror.

The chiseled marble body of the Vasto Lordes shone brightly against the moonlight, the manta ray mask casting a shadow across Karin's petrified face.

"Sonido," She breathed a whimper.

"Shinigami," The Vasto Lordes' blue eyes were flames of hate seething from the other end of the mask. It glared at Toshiro, "Shinigami," He repeated coldly.

"You," Toshiro glared. It was the hollow that he'd seen at the Ball. "I believe we've met before?"

"Fat chance he'd remember you."

Karin nearly jumped out of her skin as a lanky arm slung itself around Karin's neck. It was Trigger; Karin forced herself not to flinch as she felt a piece of cold steel held up to her throat by the hollow-girl.

"He doesn't make it practice to remember the names of weaklings," Trigger sneered.

"Let...go..." Karin said slowly, the blade tightening. She didn't recall the hollow-girl carrying a sword earlier, but her neck was held up so she couldn't look down at the sword. Either way, she felt its edge scaping hesitantly across the skin of her neck.

"Oh ho ho," Trigger snickered, "And here you thought you would just sneak off clever and unnoticed. Well, let me be frank," her voice became a rasp, her voice haunting in Karin's ears, "You only got as far as you did because I was waiting on Sonido to return."

"Stop," Toshiro waved his arm out, looking palely at Karin and the drops of blood starting to rise on the base of her neck, "Let her go."

The Vasto Lordes glanced at the captain, "And what would a Shinigami of your status care for the well-being of such a lower subordinate?" It glared firmly, mocking. Toshiro stared up at him in astonishment, amazed he knew what he did.

"How did you-" Toshiro started, confused.

"Oh ho _ho_," Trigger giggled evilly, "Isn't it obvious Sonido? The little runt has a thing for our little captive birdie," She grinned, her cheek pressed against Karin's, "Is that true?"

Karin stared at Toshiro, wondering in the back of her mind if perhaps the reason for his odd behaviors earlier had something to do with this very notion. _But...Toshiro? Impossible. There's no way..._

"It matters not," Sonido looked from Toshiro to Trigger, and to the air behind her. "It would seem as if company is coming soon," His voice grew quicker, "Trigger, the girl." He motioned with his hand for her to come to him, and Trigger obeyed, running towards Karin with her blade in tow at her neck.

_It's Ichigo and Nel, _Toshiro concluded in an instant, glancing from the sand behind him back to the larger hollow. _Wait, why is she carrying Karin towards him? Why-_and then it hit him. The reason the two hollows had caught up to Karin so fast. The reason he'd been able to gain access outside the Council Hall. The reason he'd escaped Toshiro and Leta Kamaguchi so easily before. This went beyond flash steps or shunpo.

The Vasto Lordes could teleport.

_Which means if she touches him... _the implications flooded Toshiro's mind. "No!" He screamed and lunged for the larger hollow as the female counterpart reached out to touch him with Karin still struggling feebly in her arms. _Not...this...time!_

Right as Trigger grabbed Sonido's arm, Toshiro grabbed it as well.

There was a jerk, as if someone had latched a hook onto the inside of the captain's navel and reeled him forward like a fish on a line. The jerk was sudden and without warning the world was spinning and the moon was a strobelight and the only thing not a blur was the cold solid white mask of the Vasto Lordes staring down at him with lifeless dark blue glowing orbs for eyes. Its voice was just as icy as before, but this time it was slower, more deliberate. As if he was trying to make sure Toshiro heard him,

"Shinigami...Heed this warning-"

"_Why_?" Toshiro burst, his lungs expanding and collapsing rapidly, his eyes blurred with the wind whipping in his face, "Why did you run away? I thought Ichigo was the one you-"

"Ichigo," The Vasto Lordes interrupted, "Kurosaki is of no interest to me." It gripped the sleeve of Toshiro's kimono and leaned its head forward, so it was inches from Hitsugaya's. "Heed this warning: The demons are in the closet."

Toshiro blinked, "Excuse me?"

"The demons are in your closet." The Vasto Lordes repeated slowly, but with subtly growing anger, "If you want the girl to live, I suggest you procure a way to exterminate them." He readied his grip on Toshiro's arm, "Follow us, she is as good as dead," His voice stated firmly.

"Bastard!" Toshiro's eyes flashed with fury, "She's not done anything to you! I'm ta-"

"Fool," The Vasto Lordes, in this close proximity with Toshiro, was now whispering, so only he could hear, "She will not die by my hand. I promise you this." He slowly leaned away from Toshiro, "Do not try to find us." And he shoved Toshiro away from him.

The captain yelled out to the hollows and Karin, but his body reeled and fell backwards into the spiraling abyss of fading light, his mind as dizzy as his body was sore. A loud THUD erupted behind his back and the spinning world was suddenly deadened night and spilling sand. Toshiro could only look up into the starless sky but he knew exactly where he was; he was back in Las Noches.

"There he is!" A voice called out in the night sky, a feminine ringing voice, "Mr. Hitsugaya! Mr. Hitsugaya!"

He felt a soft hand reach under him into the loamy sand and lift him into a sitting position; Nel's hazel eyes stared at him with concern. Toshiro closed his own eyes and opened them again. Ichigo was now knelt down beside him, brown irises narrowed with more irritation than concern,

"Toshiro," Ichigo breathed, "What happened? Nel said she-"

"I sensed them," She replied without warning, her face pale, "Two of them?"

"Apparently there's more," were the first words out of Toshiro's mouth to them. "But..." He paused abruptly, his face pensive.

Ichigo's brow furrowed, "But what? Where's Karin? I sense her..."

Toshiro didn't know what to think. So much had just been unravelled for him while he'd been in mid-teleport with the Vasto Lordes. He didn't know why, but for some reason he suspected the hollow had spoken in some sort of code to him.

"This is complicated," Toshiro slowly laid a hand across his forehead, "but I think the Vasto Lordes was trying to help us just now."

"What?" Ichigo blinked.

"Why?" Nel asked with high curiosity, her doe-like eyes wide with surprise.

"For one thing, the Vasto Lordes was never looking for you Ichigo," Toshiro glanced at the Substitute Shinigami, "But I think others might be-"

"As in more Vasto Lordes?" Nel's pale face looked even more stricken.

"I'm not sure, but this hollow and his counterpart seem to be acting rogue," Toshiro paused and looked around suspiciously, "And it seems we have more to worry about."

Ichigo stared coldly, "Such as?"

"This may not make sense," Toshiro scratched his head, "But I think the Vasto Lordes is protecting Karin."

Nel and Ichigo gave the diminuitive captain incredulous stares.

"Hear me out," Toshiro countered defensively, which made his voice seem childish. "It doesn't want us to follow him or his partner, but I think that's because our spiritual energy will draw attention to their whereabouts, which would place Karin in even more danger."

There was an pregnated silence, before Nel slowly observed,

"That could be true-"

"That's stupid!" Ichigo frowned deeply, "Why didn't he just give us Karin and open a Garganta and let us escape? The Soul Society would have been safe enough-"

"Maybe not," Toshiro interrupted, mulling over the Vasto Lordes' words. "Nel," He turned to the female hollow, his teal eyes suddenly intent as if realizing something important, "We need to go back to Las Noches," Nel looked towards him as Ichigo stared frustrated, "There might be some information in those computers that will solve all of this."

* * *

There was a popping sound in the sky, and the world stopped its perpetual spin; leaving Sonido, Trigger, and Karin on the sandy earth once again. Karin fell to her knees but was instantly back on her feet, her navy eyes blazing with hatred at the tall muscled hollow in front of her.

"You-you-you bastard!" She screamed, not caring how she cursed at him, "How dare you! How could you-"

"I dared and I could quite easily," Sonido replied with barely any emotion, wiping the sand off his marbled shoulders.

Karin felt her face grow hot. She wanted to dismantle him, destroy him. She had been this close to seeing her brother again, this close to freedom. She felt goosebumps across her forearms; the lingering spiritual pressure of Captain Hitsugaya lingered like a melting morning frost.

From behind her suddenly, Trigger flung herself forward. She had been half buried in a dune, and was looking about as happy as Karin.

"For the love of-" She spat a mouthful of sand, glaring at Sonido, "Was that longer-than-usual teleportation necessary?" She eyed him with a glint of curiosity, "Just why did it take us so long to get back here?"

The Vasto Lordes said nothing, which made the rising anger in Karin momentarily freeze. _Did it take us longer to teleport here than usual? _She wondered. She had passed out the first time they'd teleported, so she couldn't recall.

"Hellooooo," Trigger frowned, her curiosity turning to suspicion, "What was the hold up Sonido?"

The Vasto Lordes turned to Karin, his glowing blue eyes lingering on her hair and face. "Do you dislike me, Shinigami? Because I took you from your brother?"

Karin felt a lump of heat rise in her throat, "Yes."

"Because I took you from your chance of escape?" He asked, with more coldness.

"What do you think?" Karin's face grew redder.

"Or perhaps," Sonido walked to the side a little, "It's because I took you from your precious captain-"

"Shut up," Karin growled, "He's not my captain-"

"Interesting," Sonido stopped at her side, only ten feet from her. Trigger was watching him intently, "that you say such things."

"I said 'Shut up,'" Karin clenched her fists at her side, the contracted palms shaking.

"Because to me," Sonido tilted his head to the side, "It looked as if he was more than a captain to you-"

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Karin flew towards him, and in her rage she involuntarily called out her sword's name "YAKYUU!"

Her hand was struck by a blunt object, cold and yet warm at the same time. Plagued by both surprise and uncertainty, she looked down, and gasped.

It was her sword resting in her palm.

Without hesitating to think, she roared, "Surrender Yakyuu!" and flames burst from the sword's tip, engulfing her body. The white Arrancar clothes crumpled in embers and she started firing punches at Sonido. The flames from her fists were flying balls of magma touching the sand and leaving patches of clear crystal in their wake.

"Ah!" Trigger leapt out of the way, slipping on a patch of the crystal as she did, "Glass!" She looked incredulously at the young Shinigami, "She turned the sand into glass!"

"Because of you," Karin screamed, kicking her leg at his, simultaneously sending a fireball at him; to which he dodged both it and her leg. "Because of you! It's all because of YOU!"

She threw a right hook towards him, then a left, but he was dodging with such speed it was as if she wasn't even trying to punch him. Sonido dodged another punch and then gripped her right arm with his left hand. Karin focused all her power into that arm, and it burst into an intense flame, magma pouring off her arm and over his hand. Sonido let out a low groan of pain, but didn't let go. He took his other fist, and in the moment all her power was in her arm, punched her hard in the stomach.

"Ooh!" Karin let out an exhale of pain, a trace of blood jutting from her lips, as he let go of her hand and she crumpled to the sand, grasping her stomach and curling under him in a fetal position.

Trigger slowly rose from the rock she'd hid behind, "Geez..." She clicked her tongue in false pity at the young Shinigami.

"You did well to focus all your power into your arm," Sonido held his hand up in the air,examining it. The magma had cooled over his hand, making his fist look like it was encased in a hardened black ball. Blood dripped down his wrists from where the skin met the magma casing. "Had I been a normal hollow, your power would have spread over my entire body and killed me."

"Sonido..." Trigger said in a soft voice.

"But you were foolish," Sonido ignored Trigger and stood over Karin's crippled form, "By focusing all your power into one area of your body, you left yourself wide open."

Karin slowly tilted her head so she could look up at him, "Wait...why...why are you telling me this?"

"You," Sonido reached down quickly and lifted her up into the air with his free hand, his blue eyes glaring daggers, "I could kill you with this hand right now if I wanted to!" He yelled, and his voice took on an even more gravely, demonic pitch, causing Karin to shake as a chill rose over her body.

He threw her to the ground hard, and she landed with a loud THUMP. Karin forced herself into a sitting position in the sand, her black hair stringy in her face.

"You dare tell me to shut up," He shook his head with anger, and grabbed Karin's zanpakuto, brandishing it into the air in front of her. "Did you even realize you had this sword with you the entire time?"

Karin blinked in confusion, "What?"

"I brought you this sword!" Sonido roared, causing Trigger to back away cautiously, "I gave it to," He pointed to Trigger, who stopped moving instantly, "her! She held the blade against your own throat, but did you even notice?"

Karin's face washed with horror. _That...that was Yakyuu? Which means..._she could have escaped from Trigger. She could have summoned Yakyuu as she just did and escaped with Toshiro. She had been given the perfect chance and didn't even realize it. She turned to Sonido, staring at him in terror and even further confusion, _Why did you want to help me escape? _She wanted to ask him, but the words were tightly fused to her throat, refusing to break free of her lips.

"Because of me?" Sonido's voice calmed down, but was still laced with rage, "Because of me you had the option of your own escape. Because of yourself," He glared down at her, lowering the sword, "you squandered that chance." He spat at her feet.

Karin slowly rose to her feet, still gripping her stomach. She wanted to tell him how much she hated him, how much she didn't understand...but nothing would come out. Instead, she merely gave him a cold stare. Trigger walked past her and to Sonido's side. She rose on her tip toes to meet him, "What now? What about the Gathering?"

"Later," Sonido replied bluntly, "She comes with us." He stared back at her, "Her fate has been decided."

Karin gulped quietly.

* * *

Sonido settled onto one of the wooden benches in the main room of the Elder's abode. He shifted some of the papers on the table out of the way and sighed, laying his head in his hands. Trigger clapped the dust off her hands as she walked through the main door to join him, plopping down beside him.

"Where is she?" Sonido sighed through his hand.

"In the lower levels," Trigger crossed her arms across her chest, leaning against the side of the table, "The Elder regrets that she hadn't sealed off all the exits on the Second Level, hence why she escaped so easily before." She smiled triumphantly, "But the lower levels are being sealed as we speak, so no escape for our little birdie."

"It's just as well," Sonido said in a defeated voice, "She won't be here too much longer."

"Sonido," Trigger turned her body to face him, "Stop being so cryptic. You haven't said a word about the Gathering since you came back...what's happened?"

The Vasto Lordes was silent a moment. "They know she's here."

Trigger's breath caught in her throat, "Here? As in _here _here?" She gapsed, looking around the room in panic.

"It couldn't be helped," Sonido ran a hand over his smooth mask, "The night I went to take her, the Great King sent another Arrancar to kidnap her as well."

"And the Arrancar?" Trigger's eyes widened, "Did it see you?"

"No, but it knew another had taken her," Sonido continued, "The Gathering is not blind; they saw the Elder wasn't at the Arena and assumed the logical."

"That the Elder had taken her?" Trigger breathed.

"Who else would have the means or the power?" Sonido looked at Trigger, "But the Gathering has not suspected us yet. We are free from suspicion for now."

"What are we going to do then?" Trigger sat up, her rose colored eye wide in anxiety.

"Our plans must be put into motion immediately," Sonido rose to his feet. "I have a mission for you..." He glanced down at his counterpart, "It will not be safe, though, nor easy."

"As if I'm scared of a challenge," The hollow-girl stood up, glancing upwards into his blue glowing eyes. "What is it?"

"You are to go to retrieve our candidate," Sonido said firmly.

Trigger's eyes widened, "We're doing this _that _soon? Now?"

"Yes," Sonido nodded, "We only have a few days before the council puts their desires into motion and before that they will come here for the Shinigami," Sonido looked toward the door where he knew behind Karin was being locked up, "We must implement action now."

"It's going to take a little while to locate him," Trigger said aloud to herself, looking away.

Sonido's eyes lit up with slight amusement, "Oh? Do I detect some hesitation? I thought," His voice turned to light playfulness, "you weren't easily thrown from a challenge?"

Trigger spun her head towards him, her frown slowly changing into a smirk as she recognized the tone of his voice. "What's this? You must have heard wrong," She gave him a broader grin, "Did I say it would take a while?" She turned from him, towards the door. "I'll find him in a day."

The hollow-girl opened the door of the Elder's home and took a step outward. Sonido glanced at her with a hesitation in his voice, before saying, "Speed."

Trigger glanced at him for a second, then gave him a lingering smile, before exiting the abode and shutting the door behind her.

Sonido stared at the closed door for a few minutes in silence, then turned from the table.

* * *

_Drip._

Karin sat in silence in the basement of the Elder's home. It was dark, but the darkness had an almost green lighting to it, like the goggles she'd seen advertised in stores for "night vision." She looked around the cell she was chained in; the walls were damp and slimy with blackened green algae, and a constant drip of water was tapping against the wet stone floor. There were no windows in the basement, only a black steel square cage and moldy surroundings, with Karin in the center of it all.

_Drip. _

She shifted in place; Karin was sitting on the floor, examining the chain wrapped around her ankle, that tied off onto a heavy concrete ball on the floor. Sonido or the Elder one had taken Yakyuu away again, so she felt just as powerless as before.

_Drip._

"Dammit," Karin sighed, tugging at the chain link around her ankle. It refused to even budge. She grit her teeth and attempted to pull it off her, but to no avail.

_Drip._

"I would give up on the chain," a steady voice came from outside the cage, causing Karin to stop what she was doing and move herself against the wall. "It won't go through the bars of the cage even if you yourself could escape." Sonido's face appeared outside the cage. Karin stood up angrily,

"So," She brushed the black hair from her face, "You've come down to torture me more?" She eyed him with a white hot rage, "Wasn't enough to take my sword, my freedom, my friends...now you want my pride too?"

Sonido glanced at her considerably, "I hardly think it's fair to say I've taken your friends," He observed casually, "seeing as how they're all alive. As for your pride, the hollow in me would daresay it's no more interested in that aspect of you than your hair color."

Karin shifted her weight, eyeing him curiously, "And just what would the hollow in you want of me?"

"Your soul of course," Sonido answered nonchalantly, which sent chills down Karin's spine, "But," he mused, "I suppose that's out of the question?"

"Just a little," Karin's eyes narrowed.

"Pity," Sonido sighed. "Shinigami," He turned his back on her, "May I ask you a question?"

_Drip. _

Karin tilted her head to the side, curiously, "I guess so."

"You knew of your brother Ichigo Kurosaki's history as a Shinigami?"

The young Shinigami hesitated before answering, not sure the intent of this question, "Yes," She finally answered. "Some parts of it."

"Then," Sonido paused, "You knew of the hollow abilities he had...what he was capable of?"

It was true; she knew, or somewhat. "I knew what people told me, yes." She said after a while, staring at the back of his head.

"And if it were true, and you knew you had the power capable to fight him, to silence his abilities," Sonido glanced back at her, "Would you?"

Karin wanted to know why he was asking her this, what its significance was. The wheels in her mind turned a little more and she suddenly realized,

"I'll answer your question," she slowly gathered her courage, "If you answer me mine."

The Vasto Lorde held his stare at her a little longer, his eyes slowly tracing the lines of her face, "Fine," he said finally. "You first, though, Shinigami."

Karin sighed impatiently, "I wouldn't try to silence him."

"Why not?" Sonido was quite persistant with this answer.

"Because," Karin shifted uncomfortably; how would she answer this question? "Just because he has abilities similar to yours...he's my brother...and I love him," She finally said, and her face broke into a small smile as she shook her head. "It's okay-you wouldn't understand."

"If he was a hollow you wouldn't attack him?" Sonido asked immediately after she finished.

"Well...that's a different question," Karin began nervously, unsure.

"I'll let you ask me two in return," Sonido countered strongly.

"I wouldn't attack him unless he lost all control and hurt others," Karin answered, "If I had no other options, I would exterminate him in order to clense his soul and send him to the Soul Society...that's all." She gave him a nervous stare. "But it would be as a last resort," she looked down at the floor, "I wouldn't want to hurt him unless I had to."

The Vasto Lorde considered her words, slowly nodding. "I see...very well."

"Answer me my questions now," Karin demanded.

"Ask away," Sonido sighed with a tiny groan.

"Why do you and Trigger have nicknames?" She asked immediately.

Sonido glanced at her with great consideration, and then burst into a dark laugh, which made Karin take a step back.

"_That's _what you ask me?" He shook his head in amazement. Karin hadn't found it nearly as funny, and her expression marked this. Sonido suddenly saw her reaction and waved his hand dismissively, "Nevermind, nevermind...it's...Hmm," he glanced around him and slowly spoke, "We have nicknames because we are in exile." The look on Karin's face did not seem impressed, so the Vasto Lorde continued, "We were once members of the Vasto Lordes, but due to..." He hesitated, then anxiously added, "...circumstances, we were both exiled from the court of Vasto Lordes, never to return."

"Unless summoned," Karin noted aloud.

The Vasto Lordes frowned, "Until summoned yes," He shifted in his stance, "Our names are our most prized posession," Sonido stared at Karin. "Once we became Hollows, our names were the one thing that tied us to our mortal coil. Without it, we have nothing to ground us..." Sonido's fists were clenched, "When we were...exiled...our names were taken and replaced; and so we lost the one shred of humanity we'd kept for ourselves."

"Can this not count as my next question if I ask it?" Karin inquired with a soft voice.

Sonido glanced at her with a grimly amused expression, "Depends on the question."

"Okay," Karin didn't like that reaction, "Suppose you were to use your real name around each other or another Vasto Lorde-"

"Around a Vasto Lorde," Sonido cut her off, "We would be instantaneously eradicated. Our nicknames are punishment; to use our original names again would be in violation of this. Around ourselves," Sonido gave Karin a harsh stare, "We could, but it would still be a violation even if the Vasto Lordes never caught us..." He trailed off, obviously not wanting to continue.

Karin gave him a look. It wasn't pity, but it wasn't empathy either; it was a compassionate expression. One that made Sonido look away from her, not out of embarassment, but confusion. _Why does she look as if she cares?_

There was a subtle moment of silence, before Sonido turned back to her,

"Your other question?" He asked quietly.

Karin pondered how to phrase this question, but finally looked up at the Vasto Lorde, her navy eyes stern, "Why was it you who kidnapped me and not the other Arrancar?"

"Clever," Sonido noted, eyeing her with amusement again, "That question is not so simply answered, but I can tell you what I can."

"Which is?" Karin interjected impatiently.

"Your brother is a threat to my kind, and has been since the Shinigami Aizen Sosuke came to our world and began collecting hollows for the attack against the Soul Society on Earth." Sonido shook his head, "The Gathering believed that your brother would still be a danger if they had plans of another," He cut himself off, to Karin's great dismay, as if wondering how much to tell her. "The point is," He finally continued, "they believed if they had you, they could lure him here and get rid of him."

Karin narrowed her eyes, "But you took me instead of the one they sent to the Soul Society..."

"I don't expect you to understand the extremity of emotions we hollows feel such as emptiness..." She didn't know how but she could suddenly tell he was smiling underneath his mask, "...or revenge...but there are things at work here that go beyond you or your brother."

His words suddenly struck a chord in Karin that did not feel comforting. "What are you planning to do with me?" She asked with worried eyes.

Sonido only smiled underneath his mask.

* * *

_Of all the places he could hide, _Trigger grimaced as she walked slowly down the edges of the corridor, _He chose this dump?_

She was in the middle of two rock faces, constructed of compacted hollow masks. A Vasto Lorde had no doubt ransacked the area eons ago and the decomposing hollows had formed this mini fortress in the sand. Not that the fortress was unnoticeable; that's not what made it undesirable to go near. But Trigger could smell the consistant flow of blood and decaying flesh; as if something was constantly eating in the cavern.

_Disgusting, _she stuck out her tongue in a gross fashion, _No wonder he doesn't have to hide his spiritual pressure..._

She wouldn't have dared to go near here, but the urgency of her partner encouraged her to simply clamp down her nose with her fingers and move inwards. She turned a corner in the corridor and was suddenly in a spacious open area; the center of the cavern. It was littered with bones and rotting flesh, the floors stained in crimson. Trigger made a gagging noise; even for a hollow such as herself, this was unacceptable.

"Good Lord," She griped, staring at the figure ahead of her, "Didn't your mother teach you to clean your plate when you're done eating?"

"I didn't have a mother, you little bitch," the voice responded angrily, "And even if I did, I doubt she'd be concerned with such bullshit."

Ahead of Trigger was a hastily constructed throne of bones and hollow masks tinged in pink, half in the shadows of the walls above the fortress. The figure sitting at the throne was masked in shadows, but his pale hand was stroking the arm of the throne with slight impatience, like a cat's tail twitching.

"Good to see your mouth is about as clean as mine," Trigger grinned, moving cautiously forward. "I have news for you," She dodged a crumpling rock that fell towards her head from the ceiling, "News you'll be interested to hear-"

"Would you just spit it out?" He groaned, "All of ya are so long-winded...it pisses me off-"

"You've been chosen," Trigger ignored him, placing a hand on her hip.

The shadowed figure stopped talking and his hand stopped stroking the throne arm. He leaned forward from out of the shadows, and though his face was still shrouded in black, Trigger could make out the edges of a white mask attached to the side of his face; next to a large smile gleaming under the frazzled locks of turquoise hair,

"It's about damn time."

_**More to come soon! All I can say is that this chapter and the next have/are going to take so long to write, but it's going to be soooo worth it!**_

_**I hope you liked this chapter! thank you all for all your support!**_

_**HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Or, if not celebrating Thanksgiving, HAPPY WEEKEND!**_

_**-Romania Black**_


	50. Enter the Evolutionary Dues Ex Machina

Why, hello there! It's a Christmas miracle, isn't it? That I actually have an update! *facepalm*

In all seriousness, I intended to have this chapter done a while ago. Finals though, as well as finishing up last-minute homework, was devastating, and going home for winter break's been eventful too. But now, just in time for Christmas, I have CHAPTER 50! Woo! I want to say we are about half-way done with this story, but there's no telling, depending on how much certain events take to write and such. In any case, we're at the good part!

I personally have always had this chapter thought out, since before I introduced Lyall, Leta, and Layla, but writing it out was much more fun than I could have imagined. It seems a little rushed to me, but maybe you'll disagree. I just figured there was no ponit in dragging out a scene longer than I think it should be dragged out, haha. I hope the visual descriptions in this chapter match what I've had in mind...I think it will.

Author's notes:

1. I take a few authorial liberties in this chapter with information concerning canon characters. For example, yes, Kubo has not confirmed if any of the Espada were Vasto Lordes. I do this chapter. If it's not true, we'll just assume this is an alternate reality and call it even. ^^

2. While I have slacked on writing, I have been doing OVERBOARD on artwork for my DeviantArt page. I recommend checking it out when you get the chance.

3. I would like to say that there is a LOT of information revealed in this chapter, as there will be the next two chapters. I have the next two chapter plot focuses lined up so far, and hopefully will have Chapter 51 out before New Year's! woo hoo!

Finally, many many _MANY _thanks to the reviewers! You all have inspired me more than you can know! I always smile when I read a review. I wish the following a **Special Thanks **for their kind words, thoughts, and comments:

**TWI-hard kristine101** (Thank you for reading this on ! I'm glad you're liking it so far! I think you'll like where it goes...or I hope you will!), **Snow246 **(I think you'll be pretty pleased when you find out who the hollow is this chapter! Thank you for your kind words; I will be keeping this T for sure! Although, to be warned, it does get a BIT gory/violent in this chapter and from here on in...so keep that in mind.), **Gafoman**, **qwer1234**, **bloodyrose1294** (ahaha, no, I mean...Kubo never _officially _offed him, right? *whistles innocently* Hopefully some of the confusion as to why Sonido took Karin will be explained this chapter!), **Turtle-chan in Blue **(Another brilliant, laugh out loud comment. I must say, Toshiro's sense of smell has never been good, just so you know. ^^ Or at least that's what Matsumoto told me. As for this chapter, I have a feeling I already know what you're going to write about...so I shall wait and see if you review, and if you review what I think you're going to review.), **ReginaCaelae**, **Iceflame55, airi-07** (Hmmm, you may be surprised Airi. Sonido kind of has a growing attraction towards Karin, doesn't he? Or so we think at least...we have to remember he's a Vasto Lordes, with a lot of burdens, baggage, and a past too...ahaha, if Karin was older than 13...by several years, the M rating could come into play! haha, but for now...well, I'm not going to spoil anything. Anyway, thank you so much for the reviews!), **wordcrafter, stormcrowley** (Thank you! Yes, I'm glad you appreciated the "holding-your-sword-without-you-realizing-it" scene. I didn't know how that would work out in writing. Also, to answer your question about our guest Hollow, things are about to get really nasty...I'm excited to see everyone's reactions!), **bleach-chan** (Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked the artwork for the chapter! I love Sonido as a character...he's probably my favorite OC, along with "Trigger" and Leta. I hope this chapter has some unexpected turns for you as well.), **Taeniaea** (Thank you! I hope you like this chapter too!) and **KarinKurosakiHitsugaya913** (aha, you may be onto something! I hope you like what happens this chapter too!)

Enjoy the chapter!

Romania Black

**Chapter Fifty**

**spit, swallow, sigh  
swollen still it lies  
soulless seeds to spread  
sunless, plagued, and dead**

The rustling of papers overhead, like rats scurrying across a hardwood floor, drew Sonido to the Second Level of the Elder's home. The creeping, lingering pitter patter of what sounded similiar to hundreds of tiny bug feet scittering meant the Elder was in the room, and it appeared that he was pacing from the movement of the noise. Sonido climbed the stone stairway and gripped the handle, opening the door wide above his head and stepping up into the second floor.

"The Shinigami is secured in the basement," The Vasto Lorde initiated conversation, slowly dropping the door down to the floor again, "and Trigger is searching for our candidate. She should be back before nightfall." His eyes scanned the Elder, who was pacing back and forth across the room, gathering papers in its long hands by the bunches.

"By nightfall," The Elder repeated in a monotone murmur, "That's not a lot of time..."

"Time is something we no longer have control of," Sonido frowned, "The Gathering are making their move...potentially by tomorrow. We must have our pieces in line and ready to be played."

The Elder shifted through a stack of rotting yellow parchments, before pulling out a long unravelled scroll, "Pieces in line you say," it sneered, "ready to be played you say," The Elder cast Sonido a grave stare, "If one were to assssk me, I'd say you are far off the mark for either of those goalsss." Sonido shifted uncomfortably in his step, but said no reply as the Elder continued, "There are technicalitiessss that have not been adressssed."

"Such as?" The Vasto Lorde frowned impatiently.

"I agreed to help you with this plan," The Elder pointed a long, bony finger at Sonido's face, "Under the pretense that it would benefit myself and the Vasto Lordessss as a whole." The eyeball swiveled from one socket to the other beneath its dark barred mask, "But lately," Its voice slowed, "I question whether you have proper...priorities in mind-"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sonido interrupted calmly, but coldly.

"None of my busssssinesss," The Elder's voice slithered a tease, "Just keep in your thoughts this reality: You cannot question the order of the Gathering without two thingsssss in your hands-"

"One of which we will have by tonight," Sonido cut in, before the Elder kept on.

"-and you must come face to face with a reality that I believe," The Elder eyed him darkly, "You are continuously ignoring."

There was a stark moment of silence, in which the Elder and Sonido stared at each other silently.

"You care not to say it aloud," The Elder continued, his voice a thick molassas, softening to a whisper, "But you must face reality, my kin, yes...by our hand or the Gathering's," The lifeless drull gray eye locked gazes with Sonido's crystal blue irises, "The Shinigami girl must die."

* * *

Toshiro's eyes opened in a flash; the pounding of his heart causing his head to ache as it thundered in his head. He leaned forward in a sitting position, his hand gripping his chest, which he found was in a thick cold sweat. He wiped his brow, noticing that Ichigo was looking at him oddly.

"Bad dream?" The orange haired Shinigami asked with a frown.

Toshiro shook his head, wiping his eyes, "Something like that." He gave Ichigo a curt look, "How long did I fall asleep for?"

"Couple of hours," Ichigo said nonchalantly, motioning towards Nel, who had been typing away on the main server of Sosuke Aizen's computer system. "Nel's been working on that computer trying to search for any documents, materials; anything to explain what they'd want with Karin, or any records of Soul Society involvement with the Vasto Lordes." His face tightened angrily with frustration, "I'd help out if I could, but I can't read the language it's printed in."

Toshiro pushed himself against the wall behind him, "Written in hollow so Shinigami couldn't easily access the information?"

Ichigo nodded, "I guess he had one of the Arrancar read it for him...or he knew it himself."

"At this point neither of those assumptions would surprise me," Toshiro sighed. "It's probably better Neliel's the one working on this anyway; she'd be more thorough and patient than the two of us."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow in half-amusement, half-irritation, "And just what are you saying, Toshiro?"

The white haired captain gave him a deep frown and sighed frustrated, "This _Captain _is saying that you-"

"Hey," Nel's voice rang out, causing the two to pause and look her way, "I think you both had better come here."

Ichigo and Toshiro, who'd both been sitting in the floor of the computer room near the door, leapt to their feets and swiftly joined Nel's side. She was tapping her fingers rapidly across the touch screen of the computer interface; tiny blue lights the only thing illuminating their faces in the dark.

"I've managed to go into Aizen's files and search to see what information about the Vasto Lordes he had been gathering," She said in a more formal voice than Ichigo was used to hearing. He assumed it meant she was not happy about what she had found. Toshiro stared at the blue glowing screen, his teal eyes scanning her hand's movements. "There wasn't much, aside from the information on those who joined his side anyway-"

"There were Vasto Lordes following Aizen?" Toshiro glanced up with a furrowed brow.

"A few," Nel gave him a second's glance back. "The one you should care about is Barragan Luisenbarn," She narrowed her eyes, "Do you remember him?" She knew from Ichigo's puzzled face that he did not.

The diminuitive captain narrowed his eyes, "Yes." Though he had not fought him, the stark white skull and barren eyes still remained fresh in his mind. Captain Soi Fon had made sure none of the second company would forget his presence either.

"The Vasto Lordes are a reclusive, albeit proud group of hollow," Nel continued solemnly, "In Hueco Mundo they used to rule over all the other hollows quite intensely; though after Aizen started coming here they dissapated somewhat in reign, but not intimidation. Mostly due to-."

"Fear?" Toshiro cocked an eyebrow with the tiniest hint of amusement.

"-Knowing," Nel replied gravely, "that he was a dangerous individual, they hid themselves so he could not take advantage of their position or power. Or at least," She tilted her head as if rethinking this statement, "Some of them did."

"Barragan being one them obviously," Toshiro sighed. "What's the significance?"

"Hueco Mundo has for a long time been separated into four regions, each with a rule residing over their area," Nel tapped her fingers across the touch screen, "Barragan Luisenbarn was known as the Great Southern King. After Aizen started appearing, the other three rulers began going into hiding, and abandoning their posts out of self-preservation, sensing a possible threat. However, Barragan was arrogant, and stayed in the open; even going so far as to taking over other rulers' sectors as his own and claiming to be the 'One King' of Hueco Mundo."

"Who were the other three?" Ichigo chimed in, his arms folded across his chest. "Did Aizen end up recruiting them?"

"No," Nel continued, frowning, "These records here have no documentation of them being found by Aizen, though apparently Barragan mentioned their names to a few of his fraccion, whom Aizen gathered from in turn." She tapped the screen again and a blue projection of the touch screen flashed on the wall in front of them. Ichigo and Toshiro could not read a word of what was on the wall, but Nel scanned over the text with much familiarity. "The Great Eastern ruler was known only as The Elder...apparently this Vasto Lordes is so old no one knows if it is a King of a Queen anymore." She tapped the screen again, "The Western Ruler was the Great Queen Rosemerta Unoumbria," Nel's brow furrowed, "but a name is all the Fraccion could provide. The final ruler was the Great Northern Queen," Nel's voice hastened, "Elsa."

"You seem to recognize that name," Ichigo glanced at the Arrancar skeptically.

"I do," Nel frowned deeper, "I was originally in the region where she once resided."

"Elsa seems a bit simpler compared to the other rules in terms of title," Toshiro observed.

"The Great Northern Queen is rumored to be almost as old as the Elder. Hollows revered her because she had once been said to have faced the Captain Commander of the Shinigami in battle."

Toshiro and Ichigo looked at Nel in shock, "She battled Captain Commander Yamamoto?" They both inquired simultaneously.

"Yes. The battle was declared a stalemate, as neither lost; but both parties suffered inflictions. I do not know the extent of Captain Yamamoto's wounds or losses, but the Great Queen lost her ability to speak and somehow lost the ability to form ceros in the skirmish."

"How does one lose the ability to speak?" Ichigo scratched his chin.

"How does one lose the ability to perform ceros?" Toshiro crossed his arms against his chest.

Nel glanced at Ichigo first, "To answer your question, apparently in the battle her lower face was...to put it bluntly, blown away." Ichigo flinched involuntarily, "To answer _your _question," She eyed Toshiro, "I don't know." She replied simply, causing Toshiro to gripe angrily,

"What? That's ridiculous!"

"No one talked about it any further," Nel shrugged her shoulders.

"If she couldn't use ceros," Ichigo leaned forward, his head near Nel's shoulder, "how could she keep everyone following her orders?" He asked curiously.

The Arrancar's eyes deadened, as if a forbidden knowing and coldness had washed over them, "She was able."

Both Ichigo and Toshiro felt a chill rise over their bodies from their feet to their ears. Nel turned back to the screen, "The point of me telling you this is that apparently Barragan had set things in place to have a successor should he fall prey to any enemies."

"Successor?" Toshiro raised an eyebrow, "Who?"

"His son," Nel frowned.

"Son?" It was Ichigo's turn to be surprised, "How does that work-I mean," He stammered as he saw Nel eye him oddly, "Is that possible?"

"Why wouldn't it?" Nel glanced at him with confusion, "Do Shinigami not also have children?"

"Well, yeah," Ichigo smirked nervously, "but hollows are different I thought..."

"It's not as likely," Nel tilted her head after thinking a moment, "as for Shinigami...for obvious reasons, but it's not impossible."

"The point," Toshiro cut in with an irritated sigh, "Is that Barragan had a son and now that he's gone, this son has taken over the Souther region of Hueco Mundo."

Nel sighed, nodding her head, "Yes, we can assume so. But more than that," Nel glanced back at the screen, the blue glow casting shadows under her hazel eyes, "I worry that the other rulers may still be in hiding, meaning he could have control of all hollows in Hueco Mundo right now."

"I'd assume that's a bad thing," Ichigo eyed Nel with a frown.

"Quite," Nel eyed him with equal dismay. "Especially with," She tapped on the touch screen and a new document popped up, "this information."

The new text on the wall in front of them was not in Hollow language, and so Ichigo and Toshiro could read it. "What is this?" Toshiro took a step forward, as him and Ichigo read the words projected on the wall.

"About a year and a half ago, the Kido Corps apparently sent Shinigami here to extract technical information from this very database," She tapped the screen again and the words began to scroll, allowing Ichigo and Toshiro to read more. "They were hoping to learn about the process by which Aizen utilized the Hogyoku to create Arrancar."

"What?" Ichigo spun his head towards Nel.

"Why?" Toshiro murmured aloud.

"Your so-called 'Council of 46' knows the answer, not I," Nel gave the short captain a glare, "Regardless, it doesn't seem they were successful. There aren't any Arrancar running around the Soul Society, are there?" She offered the faintest grin to the two Shinigami.

* * *

The door to the basement cellar opened wide and loud, crashing against the stone wall, bits of debris floating off of it as Sonido strode into the Elder's dungeon. Karin sat with her legs and arms crossed impatiently on the chilled, damp stone floor, the chain still wrapped around her ankle grounding her to the barred cell she was imprisoned in.

"You seem in a charming mood again," Karin snipped sarcastically, raising a brow to look up at the Vasto Lorde. "Come to release me finally?"

"Tell me where your brother is," Sonido's voice was harsh and urgent.

Karin blinked, "Excuse me?"

"Enough of this," Sonido disappeared in a flash and in another wink was looking down at Karin from inside the cell. The young Shinigami shrieked in surprise, but the Vasto Lorde reached down and pulled her to her feet, "You will tell me where Ichigo Kurosaki is now."

"I-I dont know," Karin stared at him blankly.

"Do not _lie _to me!" Sonido raised her above the ground and back against the stone wall. She hit the wall with a THUD and let out a cry of pain, grasping the back of her head with her left hand as she gripped his arm with her right. Sonido hissed, "That short white-haired Shinigami must have told you were they were. What did he say?"

It was true; Toshiro had informed Karin where they had been, but only that. She opened her eyes despite the pain searing through her skull and gave Sonido a helpless, confused stare, "Why are you doing this?"

The words made the Vasto Lorde flinch in his place, but his grip remained firm on her throat, "Tell me," He demanded slowly, "Now."

Karin didn't understand how his mood could have changed so fast, so soon. Weren't they not just having a nice chat earlier? "If I tell you," She asked with a gasp; his grip on her throat was starting to ache, "will you tell me why?"

"No," Sonido growled.

Karin gasped for breath, "I don't trust you," She huffed in a breath, "You'll kill them!" She screamed as his grip tightened, "You'll have to kill me before I tell you anything!"

There was a moment of silence, before Sonido slowly lowered her to the ground. Before Karin could catch her breath though, he pushed her against the wall; his cold breath reigning down on her, "Tell me where they are," His eyes shifted away from her and then back, the blue glow on hers, his voice quieter; almost ashamed, "I will not harm them."

Karin stared at him, her dark eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Why would you want to know if your intentions aren't to harm them? What are you going to do, have a bonfire and marshmallow roast with them-"

He slammed her body against the wall again and she let out a cry of pain. "You," Sonido growled, "Are our prisoner. You will tell me where they are...my business with them is no concern to you, Shinigami!"

"Then promise me!" Karin shouted, gripping her head with her hands, her voice shaking, "Promise me you won't bring harm to them!" She knew any other hollow would never agree to such terms, but she felt Sonido was different. Or at least she had thought he was before he started slamming the stuffing out of her.

Another pregnant pause, as if Sonido was contemplating her words. Then he let out a cold exhalation and looked down at her, "I swear no harm shall come to them because of me."

Karin gave him a harsh stare, skeptical. "You swear?"

"Upon my true name," Sonido said solemnly, with a deep gravity.

At these words, Karin felt her grip on her head lighten; he was serious to have sworn on this.

"They are at Las Noches," She said softly.

Sonido released her without a word and she collapsed to the floor in a heap, the rattling of the chain around her ankle, the Vasto Lordes heavy, hurried footsteps, and the slamming of the dungeon door drowning out the dry sob that escaped her lips.

* * *

"So the Kido Corps' involvement here in Hueco Mundo is suspicious," Toshiro scratched his chin, "Understandable, but why?"

Nel finished turning off the touch screen as Ichigo stretched his arms over his head beside her, "What's the connection to the Vasto Lordes?"

"We know they were sending Kido Corps members here with authorization from the council...what they didn't realize was their actions weren't left unnoticed." She motioned to the outside sky, shrouded in darkness and moonlight, a small portion still an artificial sky lingering overhead. "The sky inside this dome of Las Noches functioned as a security monitoring device," She pointed to the computer system, "Whatever passed under the false sky was recorded here. Eventually someone, presumably the Vasto Lordes, caught on and destroyed the remaining bits of sky so their actions could not be monitored any longer." She sighed, "But that means they had all the time they wanted to check on the Kido Corps coming into Hueco Mundo and find out how they entered and when."

"The question then," Toshiro noted slowly, "is what they found out and why they wanted this information-"

"Nel-sama! _Nel-sama_!"

Two figures thundered down the hallway and rushed into the computer room. Nel hurried past Ichigo and Toshiro and suddenly came to their side, as the two Arrancars fell to their knees from exhaustion.

"Pesche! Dondochakka!" Nel placed a hand against each of their heads, as they exhaled loudly beside her. "What is it?"

"W-w-we were outside on guard like you asked, Nel-sama," Pesche breathed, "And then there was this flash-"

"Like lightning, don'tcha know," Dondochakka chimed in, "Like lightning-"

"-We fell backwards from it, Nel-sama, and then-" Pesche's voice shook, "-then-"

"-He wasn't tall, but his voice," Dondochakka tried to finish his partner's sentence, but to little success, "-his voice was terrifying, don'tcha know! And his eyes, oh his eyes Little Nel-"

"-We could barely breathe," Pesche exlaimed, "His spiritual pressure was incredible-"

"We didn't sense anything in here," Ichigo frowned, as he and Toshiro stood beside them, "Surely if he was that terrible we would have-"

"What did he look like?" Toshiro asked suddenly, his eyes focused on Pesche. Ichigo looked at him incredulously, but Pesche shook his head nervously,

"He wasn't tall," the Arrancar whimpered, "But he was fearsome. He wore white pants like Nel-sama, but no shirt. He had elbows that were like swords-"

"The Vasto Lordes," Toshiro exhaled, running a hand to his forehead.

"_What_?" Ichigo yelled. Nel looked up at him with a skeptical stare,

"You're sure?"

"Yes," Captain Hitsugaya frowned, "When he took Karin I was able to be near enough to him to know. The Arrancar is right, his spiritual pressure is immense, but he's able to hide it very well; I couldn't sense him until he was right on top of me."

"What did he do to you?" Nel gripped Pesche's shoulders. Dondochakka shook his head,

"Nuthin', don'tcha know. He just told Pesche-"

"He gave me this," Pesche held out a piece of parchment, that was tattered at the ends, with ink writing scrawled hastily in a language Ichigo and Toshiro couldn't read. "and told me to take it to Ichigo Kurosaki. Then he disappeared. I didn't understand how though."

"He can telelport," Toshiro answered for him. "A skill of the Vasto Lordes?" He turned his gaze onto Nel, who sighed,

"No. Not all of them...that must just be his ability," She grabbed the paper from Pesche, "Let me read-" Her voice cut short and she was silent, her eyes scanning the parchment.

Ichigo and Toshiro looked to her with curious expressions, "What is it?" Ichigo asked immediately.

A minute of silence passed. The parchment dropped into Nel's lap as she sat down on the floor, her eyes wide and terrified. She placed a hand on Pesche's shoulder, "Thank you. Both of you," She said quietly, "I'm so sorry you had to experience his presence. If I can ask though, will you please go and keep guard outside for me? Just for a moment. I need to tell these two of this."

Pesche nodded, "Of course, Nel-sama! I'm glad you can make sense of that gibberish though," He glanced skeptically at the parchment, "It didn't make sense to us."

Nel offered a ghost of a grin, "I see. Thank you," She said slowly, watching and waiting until they'd left the room before she quickly turned to the two Shinigami, her eyes wide and full of a mixture of fear, anxiety, and horror.

* * *

The throbbing had barely left Karin's head as the door creaked open again. As a reflex, she backed against the wall, her eyes frantically searching for Sonido, her mind trying to sense his presence. He'd been gone for what had seemed like hours since asking where her brother was. _Did he find them? What happened? Why did he go there in the first place?_

To her dismay, Sonido was not walking through the doorway to answer her questions. Instead, it was Trigger. The small hollow-girl smirked at Karin,

"Ooh, you look lovely," She teased, gripping the bars with her pale hands.

"Thanks," Karin wiped her cheek, which felt sore as she spoke. "I haven't seen you in a while. Come here to rough me up too?"

"I wish," Trigger snickered, unlocking the door to the cell.

"What?" Karin's eyes widened, "What are you doing then?" _Is she...is she letting me out?_

"We're going to set you free, birdie," Trigger sighed, her face breaking into a simple smile. "Sonido was so moved by the passionate love you have for your friends that he decided to not hand you over to the other Vasto Lordes."

Karin stared in silence at her, dumbfounded in the cold air.

Trigger stared at Karin, soaking in her silence before letting out a loud, bone-chilling laugh,

"_HA_! Are you _kidding _me? You really thought I was serious, didn't you?" She gave Karin a murderous grin, her rose-colored eye gleaming, "Ooh, sorry to burst your little bubble, birdie," She gripped Karin by the arm, "But plans have changed just a tick. Sonido's gone to take care of business elsewhere, and it looks like we'll be using you a little sooner than expected."

Karin glanced up at the hollow-girl as she started to rise to her feet, the rage slowly swelling in her chest at her taunting; but now joined with a new sense of dread, "_We'll_?"

"Yesssss," The Elder swept gracefully through the dungeon doorway, wrapping a bony hand around the cell bars as it turned to look down at the terror-struck Shinigami, "_We'll_."

The door flung open to the cell, as the Elder gripped Karin's shoulders and pushed her toward out of the prison door, snapping the chain around her ankle with a quick flit of its wrist. Karin gulped at the effortlessness of the gesture as she was rushed out the door of the dungeon and up the steps to the surface level of the Elder's home. She continuously looked behind her at Trigger,

"But wait," Karin gasped, realizing in that moment how sore she truly was as she was forced to walk, "Where's Sonido?"

"We told you," Trigger sighed impatiently, "He's taking care of business elsewhere."

_Do they know where he was going? To see Ichigo and Toshiro? _Karin thought it best not to mention their conversation earlier, "Well, then what are you planning on doing with me? I don't understand, what good am I to you other than luring Ichigo to you-"

A hand suddenly ran across her face, slimy and clammy as a corpse's; Karin gagged but could say nothing as the Elder silenced her talking, "Sssshe speaksss so much," It hissed, looking back to Trigger.

"I'm glad _someone _agrees with me on the subject," Trigger smiled evilly and broadly.

The Elder shuffled Karin past the main drawing room and up the stairs to the Second Level. Each couple of steps, Karin skinned her knees against the concrete floor trying to resist the grip of the Vasto Lorde, but to no avail. She hadn't felt this tired or powerless in a while, and the soreness was spreading quickly through her body. _Dammit, _Karin thought in pain, _What do they want with me? I'm no good to them other than luring Ichigo...right?_

The door to the second level opened in a crash, and Karin was thrown onto the floor as the Elder rushed past her; Trigger lifting Karin to her feet. The Shinigami looked forward, her eyes widening in surprise.

The black iron couldron was at the center of the room, a small trace of smoke rising from the surface, where Karin noticed boiling water was brewing inside. There seemed to be something else below the water's surface, but she couldn't see what. In front of the couldron was a stone seat, with chains surrounding the bottom. Trigger nudged Karin forward, towards the chair.

"Wait a minute," Karin objected immediately, "What the hell is this? What's going on? What kind of voo doo ritual are you planning here?"

"I don't know about voo doo," The Elder shook its head, "But you are about to be part of a special ceremony, Karin Kurossssssaki," It hissed, and Karin could hear the glee in its evil voice, turning its back to rustle through the piles of papers behind the couldron.

"What?" She stammered.

Trigger gripped her shoulders, offering a falsely empathetic look, "You know how hollows are classified into different categories?"

Karin eyed her over her shoulder with fearful curiosity, "Yes." She answered slowly.

"How Gillians are the weakest, then Adjuchas, and then the Vasto Lordes, who are the strongest?" Trigger asked.

"Yes," Karin nodded slowly.

"Right, so you know that Gillian evolve into Adjuchas, usually by chance, and then Adjuchas continually eat other hollows in the hopes of becoming Vasto Lordes?"

"I-didn't know that until now," Karin stared at Trigger in shock, her wide navy eyes growing more fearful by the second. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Well, usually it takes eons for Adjuchas to reach the evolutionary..._potential _to become a Vasto Lorde," Trigger explained robustly, leading Karin forward with an arm wrapped congenially around the Shinigami's shoulder, "Even then, the evolution can be a failure, making the whole process completely pointless." She pursed her lips with false sympathy.

"Okay," Karin didn't know where this was heading, but she had a sneaky suspicion she wouldn't like it.

"Well, the Vasto Lordes created a method to...speed up the process, so to speak," She waved her hand in front of Karin with a dramatic sweeping gesture. "The problem is, it's a very...sacrificial method, and most never go through with it since it's so painful to the Vasto Lordes and," She turned to Karin, her rose eye giving her the darkest of looks, "others involved."

"What are you-"

Before Karin could finish her sentence, Trigger slammed Karin into the stone stool and wrapped the chain around her arms and waist, chaining her to the throne. Karin struggled against the heavy chain, but her body was so worn from its recent sedatary inactivity and bruising that she couldn't fight Trigger's movements. Within a minute she was chained securely to the chair.

"Let me go!" Karin screamed, her hair flying in her face, "What are you going to do with me?"

Trigger clicked her tongue with a false caress, "Dear me, didn't I just explain it to you?"

Karin let the words sink in, the color draining from her face. Trigger's words rang in her ears, _'Speed up the process'_, "B-b-but you just said the process was so painful that usually no Vasto Lordes would go through with it."

The Elder's voice echoed through the room, "Desperate times call for desperate measuressssss." It had came around the couldron carrying a long silver sword, wrapped in a white cloth from hilt to the end of the blade.

"Indeed," Trigger through her braid of red hair behind her shoulder, smirking as Karin struggled against the chains binding her to the stone chair.

The Elder pulled out a rotting book, the binding practically falling off the spine of the pages. It placed the text on a podium next to the couldron and flipped the pages to around the end of the book; its bony fingers scanning the bottom of the page as its eye wriggled from one eye socket to the next. "Yesssss," The Elder smiled behind its metal-like mask, "It has been centuriesss since I performed this proccccedure."

"You-you've done this _before_?" Karin cried out in confusion and incredulously.

"Oh yeah," Trigger smiled, obviously happy at the position of power she had at this moment. "It usually takes three Vasto Lordes to the do the procedure; and if you do it right, all three Vasto Lordes will live and carry on happy, productive lives," she finished with insincere sweetness.

_The three here being her, The Elder, and Sonido obviously, _the Shinigami thought anxiously. Karin did not like the fact that she tactfully ignored mentioning the fate of the "other" involved.

"Each must donate one piece of their being," The Elder's voice slithered as it reached behind the couldron for something.

"It was the Elder's eye last time," Trigger smiled, reaching under her mask by her chin and twitching her hand quickly. Karin noticed it not was holding a thread of crimson hair. "I think I'll be modest on my first time," Trigger snickered, walking towards the couldron.

_So somehow she's a Vasto Lordes, _Karin confirmed mentally, though not seeing how it was possible.

Trigger threw the hair into the boiling pot and the smoke grew heavier, turning a fiery crimson; the color filling the room. Karin stared at the couldron in curiosity, but nothing happened other than the increase in smoke. The young Shinigami was almost sure now that something else was in the couldron, but she couldn't see what. _Wait, _Karin looked around the room, _Sonido's not here though, _"What did Sonido donate-"

Her question was answered as the Elder returned from around the back of the Couldron with two blade like pieces of bone in its hands; the ends of the bone-swords were covered in thick, hardened blood.

_Sonido's elbows. _Karin felt her stomache drop to the floor.

The Elder threw the bones into the fiery pot and the crimson smoke slowly turned a dark blue, the smoke starting to swirl towards the ceiling. "And myssssself," The Elder gave no other warning, and Karin couldn't turn her head away in time for her to not see the Vasto Lordes rip a thick stretch of skin of its left arm. Karin stifled a gag as blood dripped to the floor, the Elder's right arm shaking in pain as it held the strip of flesh over the couldron, dropping it into the boiling waters.

Dark blue smoke suddenly turned a bright, almost blinding yellow; Karin choked and coughed as the smoke filled the room, spiraling around her, the chair, and the two hollows. Only the Elder seemed unaffected; even Trigger, in her sickening happiness, had to cover her mouth for a moment.

Karin gazed at Trigger with a, slowly growing, panicked expression, "So what do you need me-"

"We originally thought your brother would be perfect for this," Trigger hopped around the chair happily, as if this was the most fun she'd had in a long time, "But then we thought, 'You're his sister, so it's almost the same thing-'"

"Skin of the Eldessssst," The Elder said slowly, almost like a Kido spell, "Bonesss as weaponssss," It moved around the couldron, picking back up the clothed blade, "Fragile Fragment of the Frail," Trigger moved uncomfortably in her place, still covering her nose and mouth with her hand. "Now complete thy methodsssss," The Elder hovered over Karin, who was mesmerized by the way the couldron's firelight was reflecting shadows off the Elder's mask, "with the blood of the one with a sssssssssoul we have not."

"No wait," Karin struggled again against the chains, "Dammit! Don't do thi-"

Before she could finish, she screamed a piercing shriek of pain. The Elder had taken the clothed blade and dug it into her side. Karin wanted to double over with the blinding agony of the blade ripping into her flesh, but she forced herself to stay sitting straight up in the chair; knowing that bending over would only increase the blood flowing down her side.

The Elder took the blade and held it, dripping with Karin's blood, over the couldron. Trigger made a movement and took shelter behind the Elder, glancing at Karin with a moment's glance of what Karin thought she's mistook for as concern.

"Now, thine brother, with your own power," It motioned to the sword, its voice booming through the smoke, "BECOME ONE OF _USSSSSSSS_!"

With a swift motion downward, the sword crashed into the depths of the couldron, striking whatever was inside and causing the contents of the water to erupt skyward towards the ceiling. Karin, blinded by the pain growing across her side, stared in horror at the spectacle in front of her.

The blinding yellow smoke first turned white, almost heavenly, then pitch black; the water bubbling and rising to the ceiling in a pillar of liquid the color of dried blood. It swirled and slowly transformed, becoming a smoky-like substance that Karin had no way of classifying or describing other than it felt like a thick, gloomy trail of smoke that was damp and felt of death itself. The looming smog rolled across the floor, around the chair, around Karin, and the other hollows. She felt the pain beside her numbing, but it was not a reassuring numbness. The dark crimson-brown waters were suspended for a moment as if time had frozen, then suddenly crashed and fell along the edges of the iron couldron. Seering the ground, steam rose up from the soaked wood, mixing with the death-like smog. The Elder held Trigger back to shield her, casting a strange kido-like barrier around them with the Elder's non-wounded arm. Karin found herself luckily under the same barrier.

Struggling to keep her eyes open, she saw something starting to rise out of the couldron. There was a sound of clawing and a stark white hand gripped the side of the pot; it's fingers having black cat-like nails curving over the couldron's edge.

The smoke, still thick as a plague, started to clear just enough to where Karin could see the figure rise from the water of the couldron. She could see the creature's backside and assumed it was male from the musculature of its body, but she didn't know for sure yet. It was naked, stark white skin with black criss-cross tattoo-like markings rising up its back like cat scratches. The creature was highly muscled, in-shape, and had a thick, flowing turquoise mane that cascaded down to the bare dimples resting above its naked bottom. Karin felt for an instant that she should have averted her eyes from the naked Vasto Lordes, but given the dual circumstances of her one, mesmerization at the entire ordeal, and two, understanding to herself that this was a hollow and not a human; she let this thought go.

Through the smoke and the haze, the Vasto Lordes turned and curved its upper body around so it could look around the room. Karin could see now by its face that it was a male; half the lower chin of the Vasto Lorde outlined with a set of white teeth engraved into the side of a mask. Karin's eyes met his; they were bright blue irises, but a cold bright blue; like winter morning. The rest of the eye was like the Elder's and Trigger's, black instead of white.

"Welcome," The Elder said softly, coming around the side of the couldron. It watched as the Vasto Lordes examined its body, his eyes looking at himself as if he looked completely different. At this point, Karin did avert her eyes briefly, and instead made them focus on the Vasto Lorde's face. "Pleasssed?" The Elder murmured sinisterly.

"Highly," his voice was harsher and more rebelliously youthful than Karin had expected. The Vasto Lorde gazed down at Karin, looking at her with a disgusted expression. "Who the hell is this little shit?" He pointed to the young Shinigami, whose mouth dropped in shock but quickly shut as she squinted at a bolt of pain in her side.

She huffed in a grunt of pain, she could see the outlines of a red pool at her feet, and wondered if it was her blood or the water from the couldron.

"This little shit," Karin grunted, grinding her teeth, "is the reason you exist...moron!" She added out of sheer spite and frustration.

The newly-evolved Vasto Lorde's eyes widened in a mixture of rage and odd excitement. The Vasto Lorde took a step out of the couldron towards the Shinigami, but the Elder's hand quickly held him back.

"Eassssy now," The Elder hissed with polite restraint, "She is somewhat correct. Grimmjow Jaegerjaques," It looked from the Vasto Lordes to the Shinigami, "Meet Karin Kurosaki."

_**I'm sorry I leave you here, but it was too good a spot to stop for the moment!**_

_**Next chapter: **_

_**Things really get into motion now! Grimmjow's not happy about Karin's relation to a certain Shinigami sibling, Karin's not happy about being seriously wounded, Ichigo and Toshiro aren't happy with the news from Sonido, and who is the Metempsychis? **_

_**We find out next chapter!**_

_**Thank you all for your love of the story and your support! I'm very grateful to have you as readers!**_

_**Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Great weekend!**_

_**Best wishes,**_

_**Romania Black**_


	51. Downhill From Here

Dear Reader,

I apologize for the ridiculously long wait. I've spent the last month getting my time schedule with school figured out (I'm reading about 200 pages a week for class, so that takes up a lot of time!), and getting the next couple of chapters for this story figured out. I've had so many options stirring on how to get to the point I know is coming soon...and luckily, I have them figured out now.

I hope you can forgive the long update hiatus, and I hope to have new chapters out at a much quicker pace from here on in.

I want to thank ALL the readers who support this fan fic, and especially those who took the time to add the story to their favorites and comment. SPECIAL THANKS goes to:

**Blackheart** (Oh yeah, Grimmjow's here! I've waited so long to introduce him into the story!), **Rihimesama, HitsuKarin Lurver **(Thank you so much for the review! I'm sorry for the long wait I've made you sit through! Please forgive me.), **XXOpheliacXX **(Thank you SO MUCH for all the wonderful comments! Thanks to Stormcrowley's help, I've been inspired to really work hard on the battle action, so it's great to hear it's going well for readers. And yes, Byakuya X Leta dialogue is some of my favorite to write. He's just a character that's so noble, making him feel uncomfortable is too much fun! ^^), **Happydaysarecool** (Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy the rest of it!), **InfernalNero, Rhirhiri **(I cannot believe that Kubo did a time skip...it was too crazy, especially given when I started this story. Also, good point! I guess I assumed it was more of a personal battle, and a chance to let Momo have her "redemption fight" since she'd been out of it for a while, and since she was dealing with the council not letting her surpass the VC seat. But thank you for pointing this out, and thank you for the review! ^^), **btstfn, Fatal Kiwi **(Oh yeah! I'm so excited for Grimmjow to be in the story now!), **BlueNekoChan, Turtle-chan In Blue **(haha, I confused myself on that one. ^^ Well, I suppppoooosssseeee Karin could be part cat...maybe...wait...), **airi-07 **(I'm glad you're liking Sonido! Well, we shall see about his regenerative skills...next chapter...as for now, yes, those were his elbow-swords; basically his weapons that he donated to make Grimmjow a Vasto Lordes.), **bloodyrose1294 **(Thank you! I hope you like the new chapter!), **bleach-chan **(Thank you so much! I really appreciate such flattery. ^^ I didn't want to end it there, but I just had to. I'm sorry for the long wait, but I hope this chapter is one to your liking!), **ticking-clocks8** (Thank you! I hope the wait for the update wasn't too long! :) Ah, no, sadly Ulquiorra won't be appearing in this fanfiction, but I hope you like the Grimmy goodness to come! ^^), **beyondrepent,** and** Snow246 **(Thank you! Again, sorry for the wait, but I hope you like the new chapter!)

Since it's been...forever...since I updated, you may want to read back to Chapter 45 if the next conversation that opens the chapter becomes confusing.

That said...Things are escalating from here on in. I hope you're ready for the ride. ^^

Enjoy the chapter!

Romania Black

**Chapter Fifty-One**

**Hollowed scapegoats for scraps  
Your eyes crisscross down my front  
They dance down my back  
**

The silver tray trembled in her hands, a subtle shake Layla Kamaguchi had developed over the past fifty years which she couldn't explain; but it always surfaced around her older brother, Lyall.

Laying the silver tray holding two porcelain saucers with matching teacups onto the black lacy bed, Layla stood in the center of the room. Her younger brother, who had been sentenced momentarily to confinement within the Kamaguchi manor, was looking out the only window in her room; his elbow propped casually on the molding of the windowframe. She felt the heat rise to her cheeks as she glanced around the room. The darkened wood walls were dreery, the lace bed gloomy, the curtains out her window ugly.

"If you hate this place so much," Lyall broke the silence, his back still to Layla, "Then why don't you redecorate? Or move to another room?"

Layla's head snapped up toward him in surprise, "I don't hate this place," She argued calmly; knowing he couldn't see the shock in her eyes with his back turned.

Lyall sighed loudly and ran the propped up hand through his thick brown hair, "I don't see how you couldn't." He said in a dull sigh.

"I brought you tea," Layla chimed in quickly, changing the subject as she walked towards him. "It's going to get cold if you don't drink it."

Lyall, back still turned, gave a slightly dark chuckle, "I know it will, Layla. I'm not an infant."

Layla's eyes narrowed, "You could have fooled me, brother-"

"Just stop," Lyall turned from the window now, his dark eyes boring into Layla's heatedly as she stopped walking towards him.

They stared at each other for a moment in silence. Layla broke the silence with a sad sigh, "Why didn't you tell me about all of this? That you knew the enemy knew about...," She looked to the floor, "That you would take action without letting me-"

Lyall shrugged suddenly, "It wasn't for you to know." He clearly didn't want to discuss this.

Layla gave him a dark glance, "I didn't understand your motives at first," She paused and made sure Lyall was looking at her as she spoke, "But I understand now. I want to help-"

"I don't need sympathy sister, or your help," Lyall shook his head and started to turn away angrily. Layla took another step and gripped his wrist. Her brother froze in his steps, but didn't look at her.

Layla was behind him; slightly taller than him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and let them hang down in front of him as they looked out the window of the room. It was a dreary grey outside, but the light coming into the dark room made it seem surreal and beautiful.

"But you _do _need my help, Lyall." Layla said firmly, only in a whisper.

"You just want to assist me so you'll seem like the 'good big sister'," Lyall smirked menacingly, still starting out the window.

Layla glanced at him, "And what of you, brother?" She whispered with bite of her own in her voice, "I do believe you're playing the 'nice big brother' card just as heavily."

There was silence; a silence that neither brother or sister wanted to break. Lyall gave a huff of a sigh and looked at his sister, whose head was draped onto his shoulder.

"I will never forgive Leta for what she did to our family," he said slowly, his dark eyes full of quiet fury that Layla knew all too well, "But for the sake of our family," His eyes lingered on Layla's face, _for the sake of you, sister,_ "I will not let her die. I will not let the council discover Leta's the Metempsychis."

* * *

The tension in the air was mounting higher and higher as Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, as the Elder had called him, slowly stepped out of the couldron onto the hardwood floor. Karin's efforts to avert her eyes upward were failing slightly as curiosity made her want to glance him over; luckily the crimson smoke that had filled the room only moments ago was still present and hid any awkward portions from her sight. She could make out the paleness of his skin and the chiseled muscles of his bare chest and abdomen, which had a large hole in the center she could spot through the mist. His turquoise hair fell like a long mane down his back and the only portion of his mask that identified him truly as a hollow was the cracked half jaw on his right cheek.

Grimmjow's teal cat-like eyes bore down angrily on Karin, then flashed to The Elder. "What did you say?" He growled.

The Elder tilted its head in confusion, "I believe I made myssself quite clear," It raised a hand and waved it towards Karin, "This is Karin Kurosssaki-"

"_Kurosaki_?" Grimmjow interrupted, his eyes flashing back to Karin, now with an intent fury.

Karin hated all this attention thrusted upon her; especially since both The Elder and Grimmjow looked like they wanted to devour her at any given moment.

"Your sacrificial lamb, at your service," Karin bowed her head, feeling that now would be the best time before she died to lay the sarcasm on thick.

"Well, well," Grimmjow was definitely eyeing Karin hungrily now, "I take it you're related to Ichigo Kurosaki then?"

"She is Ichigo's Sissssster," The Elder offered for Karin, much to her displeasure.

"Oh ho," Grimmjow was now very close to Karin, closer than she would have liked him to be. His teal eyes bore into hers, almost forcing her to look back at him. Karin made her eyes look to the side of the room as she felt his hot breath on her face; he smelled like raw meat. "You do kind of lool like him in the face," He teased in a sickly tantilizing voice, "Though there are," He looked her up and down in a glance, "obvious differences."

"Back off!" Karin kicked him in the stomach, which made him stand up, but not move. Karin cried out in recoil; a squirt of blood shot out onto the floor. "Damn it!" She cursed, wishing she could grab her side.

"Nice going, idiot!" Trigger let out a snort of a laugh, before muffling it as Grimmjow swiftly spun around to see who else was in the room.

"Another pest?" Grimmjow hissed in disappointment.

Trigger's stark white face turned pink, "How dare you!" She stamped her foot in anger, gazing up at him, "Do you even know who I am!"

"Do I even care?" Grimmjow sneered, which instantly silenced Trigger in shock, "Now, you," he pointed a clawed finger to The Elder, "I was picked to become a Vasto Lordes by the one that's not here. What the hell happens now?"

The Elder folded its bony hands together as if praying, "Now," it said in a sinister droll, "You must ssstay out of sssight, Fellow brother," It moved slowly across the floor towards Karin, "Ssshould the other Vasto Lordes sssee you yet, it would be disassssterous."

"The others don't know we turned you," Trigger spoke up, coming from the other side of the couldron tenderly; like a child tattling on a sibling to it's parents. "If they find out, they may try to destroy you."

Grimmjow ground his teeth at her, making Trigger take a step back, "You think I'm scared of them? You _are _a pest-"

"Brother," The Elder lay a hand gently on the former Espada's shoulder, causing him to stop, "You are still newly reborn. It will take a few hours for you to fully return to strength. In the meantime," The Elder moved toward one of the bookshelves and reached past the overflowing piles of parchment to remove a small black wooden box that fit in the palm of the Elder's hand, "you will need thisss."

The Elder laid the box into Grimmjow's hands. "What the hell is this?" He asked, eyeing it with a cat-like curiosity.

"You cannot open it now," The Elder cautioned. "You are to go with sisssster Trigger to Las Nochesss." The Elder smiled, the most wicked, grim smile, "I asssssume you know where that isss?"

Grimmjow let out a bark of a laugh, raising an eyebrow, "Heh, perhaps."

"From there, you will meet another one of our comradesss, who will assist you in opening a garganta that will travel directly to the Ssssoul Society-"

"No!" Karin gasped, knowing good and well that she was only hurting herself worse. "You can't do that!"_ Go to the Soul Society? What the Hell-they can't-how can they get in-Rukia-Yoruichi-Leta-Toshiro-_Her mind blinked as she realized that she had just remembered Toshiro could possibly be in Las Noches still. _No..._

The Elder continued, ignoring her; though Trigger and Grimmjow both were looking down at Karin now, "From there, our comrade will tell you whom to give the black box too. Your only misssion for now is to deliver that black box."

Grimmjow stared incredulously at The Elder, "Why not have the bastard who needs the box come to us?"

Trigger sighed impatiently, stepping up towards Grimmjow, "Because," She snapped her eyes to the Elder, "That's not all the story! There's another reason we're going to the stupid Shinigami-whatever-it-is, but The Elder can't tell you now." She let out a huff of frustration, crossing her arms at her chest, "It would take too long to explain, so I'll just tell you on the way."

"Wait, I'm taking this brat with me?" Grimmjow growled at The Elder, "I don't do no damn babysitting for anyone!"

"As if I'd need _you _to babysit me!" Trigger snapped, her face flushed.

"Time is of the essence," The Elder cut in coolly, silencing the two, "I would suggesssst that you two leave immediately. Sisssster Trigger will indeed inform you along the way of further misssion details."

Grimmjow stared uncertainly at The Elder and then to Trigger and back again. "So be it, since I _am _in your debt." His eyes suddenly lingered on Karin, who was now bent over in pain; unable to sit straight up any longer. "What about the Kurosaki brat?"

"Ahhh," The Elder turned and ran a hand up Karin's side. She cried out in pain as The Elder lifted its fingers, now covered in a crimson ooze, to its lips and licked them slowly. "The Sssshinigami sssstays with me."

* * *

The teacup clanked lightly against the tray as Lyall glanced around the room again. Layla took another sip from her own cup. The silence between the two wasn't as tense as before, but it wasn't peaceful.

"So you asked him to marry you again," Lyall said with a calm, yet challenging voice.

Layla didn't take her eyes off her teacup, "To be honest brother, the entire situation was your own fault." Lyall's eyes slowly turned towards hers, "In order to allow Rukia and the others to find you I had to create a diversion. Offering my hand to Captain Byakuya Kuchiki seemed the best way to grab the Nobles' attention."

Lyall gazed at her hard, "And just how are you going to get out of it? Find him another Rukongai peasant to take his hand?"

"I didn't have to find him anyone before," Layla blew some steam off her tea, "He did that on his own."

Lyall let out a soft snort of disbelief, "I doubt that will happen this time."

Layla looked up at her brother, her gray eyes softened with slight sadness, "And what if it doesn't?"

Lyall glanced at her in surprise, opening his mouth as if to say something, but he was interrupted by the door to the Black Room crashing open. The two glanced immediately to the door, as a figure burst into the space and threw himself to the floor. Layla recognized him immediately. It was a member of the Reverse Counter Force, a branch of the Onmitsukido Stealth Force led by the Second Division.

"Yoruichi Shihouin sent you?" Layla asked serenely, as the man clad in a dark red uniform raised his head, still hidden by a yellow half-masked helmet.

"Lady Layla Kamaguchi," He tilted his head toward her brother, "Captain Lyall Kamaguchi. I have been sent to inform you that indeed Lady Yoruichi Shihouin has requested the presence of one Layla Kamaguchi at the Division Barracks of the Kido Corps Unit."

"What?" Layla's eyes widened.

Lyall followed suit, only with more incredulous nature, "Why only her? Why not myself as well?"

"That is all I'm permitted to say," The stealth force officer frowned, bowing his head, "My only other information is that you are to meet within the hour."

Layal bowed her head curtly, "Thank you for this information. Please let Lady Yoruichi Shihouin know I will be there immediately."

The stealth force agent gave a quick nod, "It shall be done, my Lady," And he vanished from the room as quickly as he had came. Lyall rose from the bed they'd been sitting on in a frenzy,

"Why? Why invite you to the Kido Corps headquarters and not myself?"

"Oh, I cannot imagine why," Layla said with false confusion, raising a finger gently to her lips before letting it drop, "Perhaps because you're confined by the Council to this building." Her eyes traced his face angrily, and he knew she was right. Her brother let his arms drop to his side in frustration,

"Damn," Lyall exhaled, "Layla, maybe you shouldn't go. I don't like this-"

"If Yoruichi Shihouin is organizing it, then I trust the matter." Layla said with finality in her voice. Lyall didn't question her further, but his eyes transitioned with melancholy to the floor. Layla raised a hand and cupped his chin in her palm, staring into his eyes with sisterly affection. "Trust in this, Lyall. Trust in me. This may be the information we've been waiting to hear that will free you from this incident...and our sister as well."

Lyall looked up at her and forced a weak smile, "I suppose you can handle yourself."

Layla gently let the hand slide from his chin and back to her side. "Of course. Have faith in me, brother. After all," A small ghost of a smile formed across her plump lips, "Everyone always told me I should have been the Kido Corps Captain."

* * *

The pain was throbbing. Karin felt as if she could sense every vein of her body being stretched to its limit, while simultaneously feeling as if she would pass out from the loss of blood she'd endured.

_How can spirits feel this way? I didn't think ghosts could feel pain, _Karin gritted her teeth as she wondered this. She had kept her eyes closed for what seemed like the last couple of minutes, but could hear The Elder rustling through the room, as if searching for something.

"The Reishi here," The Elder said aloud finally, though Karin wasn't sure if it was talking to her or to itself, "is concentrated; so a spirit like yourself will feel pain in a much more resssounding fasshion than most."

_Of course. _"Good to know," Karin gasped for air, the pain blinding her even with her eyes closed. She felt The Elder kneel beside her, and a clammy cold hand reach her side. The slightest touch was enough to make her want to scream.

"Eassssy," The Elder sneered, "Thisss will hurt momentarily."

_More than I hurt now? _Karin suddenly snapped her eyes open, "Wait, wha-"

The Elder reached its spidery hand to the chain binding Karin to the stone chair and snapped the chains loose, the heavy metal clunking loudly to the floor. Karin, unable to brace for the sudden lack of adhesion, fell immediately out of the seat and onto the wet hardwood ground. She could not hold in the painful cry that exploded from her as she made impact, feeling all her nerves erupt as if being pricked at once.

"Sssso ssssorry," The Elder apologized, though it's voice sounded actually amused.

"Screw you!" Karin yelled angrily, "You did that on purpose!"

"Perhapssss I did," The aged Vasto Lordes smirked with its crooked shark teeth, "but you are our enemy, sssssso..."

"So," Karin managed to look up at the Elder, her eyes wide with anxiety and a new fearfullness, "Is that why you've let me go from the chair?" She braced herself for the awful truth that she knew was about to come from its lips, "Are you going to kill me and eat me now?"

The Elder paused, the smirk fading from its lips and stared at Karin for a moment in utter silence.

Then it exploded into a mirthless, merciless howl of laughter.

"_WHAT_?" The Elder roared in a screeching laugh that made Karin's ears ring horribly, "Eat You? HOW _RIDICULOUSSSS_!"

Karin blinked, unable to move or even reply to the statement.

"Fufufufu," The Elder cooed, Running a spidery hand across Karin's head, through her black hair, "You _would _be tassssty, Sssshinigami." It smiled evilly, "But no, you are not my prey to conssssume."

Karin suddenly felt a cold liquid across her side and the nerves instantly started to calm themselves. The shooting pain in her side started to subside and she could feel the pounding in her head start to soften.

"What are you-"

"This," The Elder held up a small vial of clear liquid, that to Karin appeared like bottled saliva, "Is the regurgetation from the mouth of the Western Vasto Lordes Queen, Rosmerta Unoumbria-"

"Regurgetation?" Karin interrupted, feeling strength in her body quickly returning, "You mean vomit?" Her eyes widened in disgust, "You put some Vasto Lorde's puke on my side?" She didn't even want to look down at her midsection now.

The Elder narrowed its eye on Karin, "Would you'd rather I had ignored you and let you die?"

Karin shut her mouth promptly, then opened it again in protest, "You're going to let someone else kill me though, is that it? I'm someone else's prey?" She tried to see if she could sit up, and found that she could with more ease than she originally thought. _For hollow vomit, this is actually pretty good-_"Hold on," Karin shot her eyes toward The Elder, "My brother Ichigo...he...knows a hollow that can do that. With its...vomit that is," She immediately thought of Nel and how Ichigo had told her the funny story of how she puked on another hollow and healed him.

"Hmmm," The Elder scratched its wrinkled chin with a sinowy fingernail, "I doubt the other Kurosssaki has met the Queen." Its eye looked down on Karin, "But, some hollows share certain abilitiessss, so it could have a ssssimilar power that our Queen has."

_I guess that answers that, _Karin frowned. Now sitting up, she could look around her surroundings. The young Shinigami's eyes widened in surprise; the room looked completely different. The couldron was gone somehow, and the floors were wet, but mopped clean. Had you told Karin that thirty minutes ago she was being sacrificed to help evolve a hollow into a Vasto Lorde, she wouldn't have believed you. Suddenly, the wheels in Karin's head started turning faster. She wasn't sure if it was because she was healed, or if it was because she now had time to think without fear of death. But one thing she was starting to form in her head-

"Tell me, Elder," She started slowly, as the Vasto Lorde turned its gaze toward her. "Did you heal me now because I'm just someone else's prey," Her eyes locked onto The Elder's, "or because you don't want the other Vasto Lordes to know you used me to create another one of _your kind_?"

The Elder, who had stood up and was starting to rustle through some papers, stopped dead in its tracks and stared at the wall silently. Karin might as well have known the answer then and there, but it turned slowly in place; the familiar bug-like rustling sending chills up the Shinigami's spine as the Vasto Lorde spoke, it's voice hollowed as its heart,

"_Both_."

Without warning, an eruption of spiritual pressure exploded across the room and Karin doubled over with a gasp for air. _What? What the hell is this? This pressure is so immense! Is it the Elder-_

"Ah," The Elder broke its stare at Karin and waved a long arm through the air effortlessly, gliding across the floor past her, "It would appear as if our guestssss have finally arrived."

Karin gasped for a breath with slight difficulty, "_Guests_?"

"Yessss," The Elder opened up the panel in the floor leading downstairs, "You are lucky, Sssssshinigami," It was illuminated with an evil, malificent gleam as the light from downstairs cast an eerie shadow across its face, "You will be one of the few of your kind to ever have met _all _of the Vasssto Lordesssss."

* * *

Trigger, her arms stretched out wide above her head, sighed loudly. "It seems like only yesterday since I was in this dump. Oh wait," She eyed the place with a cynical exhalation, "it _was_."

"I always hated this place," Grimmjow stared at the ruin-like walls of the once formidable palace, "every inch of it."

Trigger shot him a look of disbelief, "I don't see how that's possible, given the state of that shithole you lived in when I found you."

The new Vasto Lorde tilted up the corners of his mouth into an angry smile, "Oh? Since when did a child like you get such a filthy mouth?"

"I'm no child," Trigger rebutted, her arms crossed as they walked along the corridors, "I daresay I'm older than you are, so I have every right to talk as I please." She paused at one of the doorways. "I think this is it."

"What is what?" Grimmjow huffed with impatience, "I hate all this vague talk."

"And I hate your childish naiveness," Trigger countered. "This is it; the place where our comrade is meeting us." She led him into the room, which was darkened except for the light of several computer monitors that glowed a dim white light across the large room. "Or at least it looks like the Surveillance room where we're supposed to meet-"

"Just who the hell is this _comrade_?" Grimmjow cut in angrily, "Another Vasto Lorde?"

"Hardly," Trigger snickered, "The other Vasto Lordes want us dead, remember? No, this an Arrancar," To these words, Grimmjow's face lit up with apprehension, "who Sonido contacted and requested their assistance." Trigger snapped her fingers in the air, "Hey! We're here! If you're the contact, let's get some light in here!"

As directed, the flourescent lights overhead suddenly turned on and flooded the room. Grimmjow shielded his eyes for a second, then opened them to focus on the figure standing not thirty feet in front of them.

"Name, hollow," Trigger inquired in an unenthused tone, her arms still crossed across her chest.

The Arrancar's voice hesitated, her hazel eyes frozen on Grimmjow; as if seeing a ghost.

"Nel," The female hollow replied fearfully, "Neliel Tu Oderschvank."

_**Bahhh, why did this chapter take so long to finish? Mainly because I moved a lot of sections around! For instance, we will find out about Ichigo and Toshiro and where the heck they are next chapter, and things...let's say things are going to speed up from here and get really out of hand! I cannot wait to write it out and share it with you all!**_

_**Thank you for the tremendous support and readership from everyone. I write this solely for you all!**_

_**Best wishes,**_

_**Romania Black**_


	52. Flip, Flop, and Fingerpop

Author's Note: I. Hate. School.

Well, it's not that I _hate _school, but I have been so busy writing for classes, that I have had barely any motivation to write for myself...now DRAWING is a totally different story, as it relieves me from the pains of writing...but this has taken me two months to write. Literally. And I apologize for that.

I do only have five weeks of school left so HOORAH! Then I'll be back to writing (hopefully) at a more normal pace! To those reading this, Thank you. Thank you for being patient with me, and not abandoning this story. A VERY VERY Special Thanks to:

**QMAN4000, dmoffett1027, Dark Inu Fan **(haha, well I don't know about Grimmjow being the new king...yet...bwaha! As for Karin and Ichigo, don't worry...you'll have to keep reading, but I think your prediction may be more than spot on. *wink wink* I don't want to spoil anything though! Thank you for the review! I hope you like this chapter too!), **CuzI'mNinjaThatWay, Codry, XxKoojixX **(Ah! Pregnant! Yoruichi was pregnant the last time Byakuya had saw her, and now she had had her baby. I hope that clears things up!), **theloverofanime** (Hey, ANY review long or short is a great review that I'm happy to have! ^^ To answer your question, no, Nel's not the Queen, though she shares the same ability of healing as the Queen does. Yeah, Karin's going to have her hands full with ALL the Vasto Lordes...which is NOT a good thing of course. Toshiro as a knight in shining armor? Well, I can't spoil anything in the future chapters...but you may be happy in a few chapters. ^^ Thank you so much for the review!), **Yurotaka, Turtle-chan in Blue** (The Force! hahaha, oh my...well she certainly is strong with it, by your standards. *wink wink* As for Karin being part cat and Grimmjow coming from her...that's not necessarily true. Grimmjow just couldn't become a Vasto Lorde without the blood of a Shinigami, hence why they needed Karin. ^^), **RaginaCaelum **(Hoorah! I love writing Nel scenes too, so I'm glad you approve of her being back! ^^), **Psycho's Pet **(oh wow, I'm so happy you like it! ^^ As for why Grimmjow's there...you'll find out by the end of the story for sure, though there will be reasons sprinkled throughout the next couple of chapters. Anyway, I hope you like this upcoming chapter!), **bloodyrose1294** (Ah, the Metempsychis is a spirit born in the Soul Society by consuming the souls of its two parents. They are capable of stealing the zanpakuto of its host if they have one, and are illegal in the Soul Society because of the nature in which they are born. Leta Kamaguchi is a Metempsychis, as we learned last chapter. I hope that helps! As for the Vasto Lordes not helping Karin...ahh, I can't say anymore now!),** Snow246 **(Thanks! Sorry for the late update! And yes, Nel is helping both the Shinigami and Vasto Lordes...poor her!),** bleach-chan **(Thank you so much! Yeah, I've wanted to add Grimmjow for so long, and I had a blast writing his meeting with Karin. As for her fighting, wait and see. But your analysis of her is SPOT ON! ^^), and **airi-07 **(Thank you for understanding how busy college life can be...it's crazy! And Wow, the fact that my OC and Karin are a ship for you makes me so happy! Sonido is taking a hiatus from the story for now, but he'll be back, don't worry! And YES, I was actually giggling to myself as I wrote Karin looking down on Grimmjow...I mean, how could you NOT! haha)

Thank you all SO much for the support and reviews!

This chapter the rating goes really into effect, as the story gets a bit graphic...so **YOU** **HAVE BEEN WARNED!** The squeamish may not like it towards the end. _

Heh, that said,

Enjoy the chapter!

Romania Black

**Chapter Fifty-Two**

**The Source of Your Pain  
The Source of My Pleasure  
**

Layla Kamaguchi would never forget the hill. A round knob overlooking the Kido Corps headquarters, the blades of grass were always in her memory of sepia tone; never a brilliant clear green but rather a dying olive brown. Her mother would sit at the hill's peak almost everyday, glancing down at the Kido Corps and the land that belonged to the Kamaguchi sprawling out before them, with Layla constantly beside her staring at the graceful woman in awe.

As Layla climbed the hill what she could remember as the first time in decades, she remembered one of their last meetings there.

_"Mother," Layla remembered her hair as it used to be; a thick dark green rope trailing down her back and swishing left to right. "You asked to see me?" She tugged her dark purple and gray robes closer to her figure as a bitter wind rippled across her body. "Has father returned yet?" _

_She knew her mother would wait on the hilltop to see him come over the horizon, his strong, bulky figure shadowed by the sun; thick dark green hair whipping past his narrowed hazel eyes. _

_But he had not arrived yet. Her mother sat with legs folded under her, a pale yellow and mint kimono pulled around her frail, petite frame. Cradled in her hands was a small charcoal-colored porcelain cup with steam flowing off the top. _

_"Not yet, Layla," Her voice a soft echo, "Sit with me." Long golden silk strands of hair clung to her forhead against the breeze. She sipped from her cup as Layla sat down beside her. Her large gray eyes, the only physical trait Layla shared with her mother, trailed the landscape before them. "Our family has had this property for centuries," She sighed slowly, "As long as the Kamaguchi's have been connected to the Kido Corps. Normally little Lyall would gain control of the Kido Corps and you would be our clan leader, but you, my daughter," She gave her daughter a fragile stare; one that Layla would remember until the day she died, "follow a different fate. Your father and I want-"_

_She paused mid-sentence, her eyes glancing past Layla, past the hill, past seemingly everything; deadening, the skin of her face losing color. Layla followed her mother's gaze as she peered behind her shoulder. _

_A Shinigami she did not know stood in the face of the wind; his face slack, dark hair lank against his face. Layla traced her mother's eyes to what the Shinigami was carrying and a breath caught in her throat. _

_In his arms lay a meticulously folded golden sash with a string of three golden beads piled gently in the center. _

_The sash and jewelry the Shinigami held belonged to her father. They were passed down every generation to the Kamaguchi clan member who held the highest rank in the Gotei 13. _

_They were slathered in blood. _

"Madame?"

Layla spun around in place to see a man staring at her, his hand held out as if about to tap her shoulder. He was dressed in a long white robe bearing the Kido Corps insignia.

"Madame Kamaguchi!" He yelped, stunned that she had turned around so quickly, "I am sorry to frighten you," though he sounded more scared than she was, "I was asked to escort you to Madame Yoruichi Shihoin upon your arrival." He bowed his head low.

Layla turned away from the hill to face him, "I see. Very well, lead me to her, sir."

The Kido Corps member motioned Layla to follow him. She gave one lingering peek at the sepia hill behind her. It looked as lifeless as the last afternoon her and her mother had sat upon it; the day that it was announced her father had died on the battlefield against an army of menos.

Her mother never returned to the hill after that day.

Approximately nine months later, Leta Kamaguchi was born.

* * *

"Neliel Tu Oderschvank," the Arrancar woman replied hesitantly, her hazel eyes glancing not at the hollow-girl, but at Grimmjow Jaegerjaques in shock. "Is that...really you, Master Grimmjow?" _That power level...He-he's become a Vasto Lordes! There's no way..._

"Eh?" Grimmjow tilted his head to the side in confusion, his eyes narrowing. "Wait...you..." His eyes suddenly widened, "You're that little brat that was with Kurosaki!" He couldn't mask his surprised expression.

"Oh you know each other? Charming," Trigger added with the least bit of enthusiasm, rolling her eyes, "There'll be time for reunions later," She shoved past Grimmjow, who still looked stunned and uncertain as to what he was seeing. "You," She pointed to Nel, "What did Sonido tell you?"

Neliel had to make herself tear her eyes from Grimmjow, "Sonido..."

"The Vasto Lordes that contacted you!" Trigger yelled impatiently, her red eye blazing.

"Oh," Nel breathed, "I never saw him in person. He gave my fraccion this note that informed me I had to send Ichigo and Captain Hitsugaya to the Soul Society...though since they had to go through Garganta it may take longer than it normally would for them to return."

"What?" Grimmjow raised his eyebrows, "Kurosaki is here?"

"Are you deaf or something?" Trigger scoffed at him, "They went back to the Soul Society, and now we are going to follow them." She turned to Grimmjow, who looked equally frustrated.

"What the Hell was the point of sending them ahead of us if we're just going to follow them?" He growled.

"Because one, you would have already tried to kill Ichigo here and then would ruin whatever Sonido's plan is," Trigger rolled her eyes, but then smirked evilly, "And two, think of it as sending the weaker ants to the front line of a battle. They'll weaken the enemy and then we'll come in to make the killing blow." Neliel looked concerned by this statement, but Grimmjow looked skeptical at the least.

"You're being pretty damn secretive, brat," the newly formed Vasto Lordes leaned toward her, "Just who is the enemy-?"

"No time now," Trigger cut him off hastily, "Arrancar," She turned to Neliel, "open a garganta for us. I cannot make one, and my comrade musn't waste his regaining energy on such a task."

"O-As you wish," Neliel stammered, but then motioned them to follow her towards the exit of the room. Grimmjow nudged Trigger with annoyance,

"Do you actually know why we're going to the Soul Society?" He bared his teeth impatiently, "Or has that Vasto Lordes Sonido left you in the dark too?"

Trigger didn't answer his question, just looked straight ahead; though out of the corner of her eyes glared a glint of uncertainty.

* * *

The door to the Squad Four hospital infirmary swung open, as Leta Kamaguchi entered; her strawberry blonde hair weaved into a thick braid that was wrapped into a low bun at the base of her neck. She glanced at the lone bed sitting in the middle of the room, her eyes on its occupant.

"How is the Captain?"

Squad Seven Lieutenant Tetsuzaemon Iba, who stood beside the bed, glanced down at their Captain. The wolf-appearing man had a serene quiet expression, as if in pensive sleep, though his chest was bandaged heavily and a slight rattle was in his breathing.

"He hasn't woke up yet," Iba frowned, clearly afflicted by his own statement.

"I just came from the barracks," Leta said with a sigh. "I had to leave; the tension over there is just..." She let her voice trail off, as she moved to stand beside Iba.

The Lieutenant gave Leta a frown and a quick nod. "I'm doing the best I can, but the squad's getting restless without news of their Captain's condition improving."

"But it will improve," Leta cut in sweetly, a tender smile on her face, "You have to have some faith, Iba."

Iba lifted his head up into the air and huffed out a sigh, turning to look down at Leta. "I know he will, ya stupid brat," He crossed his arms angrily, but his voice hinted otherwise, "And its Lieutenant Iba." He gave a faux frown, "Don't you have any respect for your higher ranked officials?"

Leta let out a broad smile, her grin spreading across her face, "Don't you have any respect for your elders?" She teased.

Iba's face blushed a bright pink, as he nervously drew away from her, "Wh-wha-I know you're older than me!" He protested, "Don't rub it in!" Then he realized how vulnerable he looked and his face grew even pinker, "I mean-just because you're an old maid who looks like a ten-year-old-I mean-you're still good looking for an old maid, just-I mean you don't look really like a ten-year-old-I mean-ah, just shut up!" He finally huffed and stared straight ahead, his face puffy and flustered.

Leta tried to hold in a chuckle, smiling wryly, "As you wish, Lieutenant."

There were suddenly footsteps along the corridor thundering towards their room. Leta and Iba turned their heads slightly to the entrance as Renji Abarai stopped at the doorway.

"Leta," He said slightly out of breath, "sorry to interrupt, but I need a word with you."

"Certainly," The smile faded slowly from her face. She turned toward Renji, but her head turned to look back at her captain. A hand gripped her shoulder,

"I'll stay with him," Iba reassured her, his dark sunglasses gleaming in the sunlight peeking through the white window curtains, "And let you know as soon as he wakes up."

Leta had always felt a disconnect and yet simultaneous bond with the Lieutenant. This gesture only strengthened the latter. "Thank you, Lieutenant." She smiled serenely, leaving him to walk with Renji out of the room.

The Sixth Squad Vice-Captain looked down at Leta empathetically as they walked down the hallway, "Sorry about making you leave so abruptly."

"It's fine," Leta smiled up at him, "Iba can handle watching the Captain. Now, what is the news?"

Renji's face was serious, "Captain Kuchiki left about half an hour ago, going to the Kido Corps Headquarters."

The Seventh Squad Third Seat's face was curious, "The Kido Corps? Why?"

Renji shook his head, "He would not say, but did inform me that Yoruichi was meeting him there-"

"That's odd," Leta interrupted, "Why didn't she tell me?" Her brow furrowed.

"I was about to say," Renji noted, his voice hastening, "it could be because your sister was meeting them there as well."

Leta's hazel eyes widened considerably, her face slackening, "What?"

"The Captain told me this in confidence," Renji stopped in the middle of the hallway, looking down at Leta, "If you go there-"

"I won't compromise your trust with Captain Kuchiki," Leta reassured him, tapping his arm and smiling, though it wasn't a pleasant smile; something Renji wasn't used to seeing. "However, I must go and see what's going on." She turned to look back down the hallway, "Will you stay with Iba? And if Rukia comes asking what's going on, will you let her know? I feel if Byakuya is involved, she has a right to know." Her eyes narrowed, "But we should probably keep this quiet to everyone else."

"Understood," Renji nodded, "You'll be alright going by yourself?"

Leta's smile became more jovial, "I don't think I even need to answer that question, Renji."

* * *

The Kido Corps was an elaborate set-up, typically kept in utmost secrecy from the other souls in the Soul Society. For generations, the Kamaguchi family had helped to maintain the balance of keeping this secrecy while promoting interaction with the Special Ops Divisions and the Gotei 13. Layla had come to memorize every protocol necessary for keeping order and civilized engagement within the Kido Corps, so it caused her eyebrow to twitch slightly when she saw how many protocol were being broken with the arrival of the guests in the main foyeur of the Kido Corps Headquarters.

There were no Kido Corps guards standing in the large open room. Standing instead in his black Shinigami robes and captain's haori was Byakuya Kuchiki, next to him Yoruichi Shihoin, dressed in her black tights and orange top. Layla did not like the image of Yoruichi this way. Mainly because that type of dress signified she was readying for a fight. Layla furrowed her brows,

"Typically, guests are supposed to wear protective robes signifying permitted entry by the Kido Corps Gatekeepers," She stated matter-of-factly, striding towards them. The room was wide and had metal siding and floors, her voice echoing across the empty room.

"This case is slightly different, Layla," Yoruichi greeted her with a hand clutching her hip, her voice darker than usual. She raised an eyebrow mischieviously, "We avoided the welcoming party coming in."

Layla stopped beside them, her mouth uncharacteristically aghast, "Avoided? How?"

"You question the two fastest Shinigami in the Soul Society?" Byakuya inquired with the most subtle hint of a raised brow in unison with Yoruichi. The feline femme smirked grimly,

"I wouldn't say the _two _fastest in the Soul-"

"You broke in here undetected?" Layla's voice was full of disdain, "Do you realize how many laws you are breaking-"

"I'm sure they have ample reason, sister."

Byakuya and Yoruichi glanced quickly past Layla, who'd spun around to see her sister, Leta, walking towards them.

"Leta," Layla's eyes widened as she breathed her sister's name.

"How did you learn of this gathering?" Byakuya glared with seething anger.

"Considering my family runs this operation, I'd say that's not the appropriate question," Leta answered with a flick of her hair behind her ear. "I would ask you why you were gathering in the first place," Leta gave Yoruichi a betrayed frown, to which the feline-like woman gave an apologetic sigh, "But I can see that's none of my business."

Yoruichi gave her a sympathetic frown, "Leta..."

"You shouldn't be here," Layla cut in with a firm stare, "You weren't summoned-"

"Then why were you?" Leta rebutted, hazel eyes glaring, "I feel some answers are in order as to why two captains, three nobles, and one sister of mine are meeting in secret at the Kido Corps."

"I called them here," Yoruichi chimed in, crossing her arms at her chest. "Both Byakuya and Layla."

"And I would like to know why here," Layla interrupted with increasing agitation, "Why at the Kido Corps? Do you realize how many sacred laws, laws constructed and held by one of the Four Noble families, you are breaking by sneaking into the most guarded branch of the Soul Society's military?"

"I do," Yoruichi nodded, "But I had to come here. What I'm about to tell you has ramifications for not only your family, but the Kido Corps and the entire Soul Society as well."

Layla and Leta's eyes widened in curious surprise, as Byakuya huffed in irritation.

"Come on," he growled with impatience, "Explain yourself."

"You recall the night of the Summit Ball, I assume? How the Vasto Lorde broke in, kidnapped Karin Kurosaki, and posed a great threat on the Soul Society?"

"Of course," Leta frowned, "How could we not?"

"Though, there wasn't a great threat to the Soul Society in the end," Layla noted, her cheek resting in her palm as she placed her other hand on her hip.

"At that time," Yoruichi continued, "But while we questioned Lyall for allowing the dimensions to be opened up to let the Vasto Lordes in, did anyone question how that technology was developed in the first place?"

"What are you saying, Shihoin?" Byakuya inquired with frustration, "We already know the Kido Corps created the technology that allowed him in."

"And he was undetectable once inside the Soul Society until he made himself known to us," Yoruichi added, her voice growing hastier.

Leta's eyes widened with a feeling of sudden knowing, though Byakuya and Layla still looked confused. "Yoruichi, you-"

"What are you saying?" Layla cut in, her eyes narrowed.

"This wasn't the first time a Vasto Lorde came into the Soul Society," Yoruichi said grimly.

Byakuya stared in silence, his eyes significantly more open. Layla gave a thin gasp, "Are you certain?"

Yoruichi's frown deepened, "That's what we're here for."

"The Kido Corps knows a Vasto Lorde is here?" Leta burst out in disbelief, "And they haven't said anything?" She looked around angrily, "Where's the Kido Corps Lieutenant, Madame Madadharma? Wasn't she leading research and development of-"

"Did someone say my name?"

The four spun back to the front of the main foyeur, where a lone figure had entered from the small two sided heavy door leading from the foyeur into the center of the Kido Corps headquarters.

"Lieutenant Madadharma," Layla breathed.

The woman in question was tall, with a built frame that was neither thin nor bulky, cloaked in a velvet black dressrobe, dark red robes tying the hood around her neck; the chest of the dressrobe bore the Kido Corps symbol. Her face, which was barely visible from beneath the hood looked gaunt; her skin a pale lavender and the hair slicked back on top of her head a blinding white. Her red eyes gazed lazily at the four of them.

"You were addressing me, Madame Kamaguchi," Madadharma bowed her head curtly, "so may I be of service?"

Leta had not seen the Kido Corps Vice-Captain in years, but she looked the same as ever. Out of the corner of her eye though, she saw Yoruichi's fists clench somewhat, her feet grounding to the floor. _What on earth-?_

"Lieutenant," Layla repeated respectfully, "Pardon us for our grave intrusion. There will be ample explanation later; you have my word."

"Please, Madame Kamaguchi," Madadharma's smooth voice said lightly, "If two members of the Kamaguchi clan are involved, I have little objection to their presence," her eyes shifted to the other two present Shinigami, "Though these two," Her red eyes narrowed, "Will have to leave."

Byakuya stiffened in his stance, as Yoruichi gave him a grim glance. Leta spun her gaze to the Vice-Captain, "Madame Madadharma, what did you say?"

"Madame Madadharma," Layla placed a hand by Leta's face to stop her sister's question as it ended, "You were the one who led the research team to construct a way of letting the Vasto Lorde into the Soul Society, correct?"

"The Council 46 approved such constructions, yes," Madadharma nodded.

"But you approached them with the suggestion?" Layla asked.

The Kido Corps Vice Captain frowned suddenly.

"Ah," Layla smiled darkly and nodded to Yoruichi, "I believe I understand why you brought us here."

* * *

Above the Sereitei, a large Garganta ripped like a black pen scribbling across the blue skies. Two figures emerged from the black void and started to fall toward the Soul Society.

"T-that," Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya sighed with frustration, "Is the last time I travel via Garganta with you, Ichigo Kurosaki."

"What are you rambling about?" Ichigo frowned as they drifted downward, "We got here fine!"

"It's a miracle we didn't fall into the abyss, thanks to your pathetic excuse for a reishi path leading us here!" Toshiro barked, "No wonder Nel was the one who made it going into Hueco Mundo-"

"Can you stop your bitching for two seconds?" Ichigo glared, "Or would you like the rest of the Soul Society to know we're here?"

"How could they not know?" Toshiro sighed impatiently, "That Garganta was so large I'm surprised there isn't a welcome party waiting on the ground below us with cake, punch, and-"

"Toshiro, I am seriously going to punch _you _if you don't shut up," Ichigo cut in angrily, pausing to sneer, "Oh, I'm sorry...I meant, _Captain-_."

"I get it." Toshiro interrupted, giving Ichigo an icy stare as they touched down, turned away without another word, as Ichigo took in the scenery around them. "Stop mocking me, you bastard."

"It feels weird being back in the Soul Society," Ichigo ignored his comment and glanced at the treeline ahead of him. "How far away do you think we are?"

"Not far," Toshiro glanced seriously ahead of him pointing towards the trees, "that way is probably the fastest route."

"Do you think we should call some reinforcements to come with us?" Ichigo asked, "Rukia or Renji might be able to-"

"No." Toshiro gave Ichigo a stern stare, "One, getting them involved right now would only put them in jeopardy if the situation is as bad as Nel thinks it is." He glanced ahead of them, "Two, we don't have time to look for them. For all we know, we're already too late."

* * *

There was a moment of silence, and Madame Madadharma burst into a bark of a laugh that echoed through the room. "What is the meaning of this?" She smiled widely. "Yes, I inquired them to construct the Garganta based on the research the Kido Corps did months ago there on Garganta construction."

"Tell me," Layla continued, her face looking oddly amused at the Vice-Captain, "How long ago did you propose to the council to construct the Garganta-like construct leading into the Soul Society?"

The Lieutenant gave her a confused look, "It was five months ago at the earliest."

"Ah ha," Layla nodded, "You see, the Twelfth Division had been doing research in Hueco Mundo over a year ago, ever since Aizen's initial fall from his power conquest," she gave Madadharma a curious glance, "and then the Kido Corps were asked to help the investigation...about eight months ago by Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi."

"Yes?" The Madame gave no sign of arguing. "And?"

"But the goal of the inquisition was to investigate Las Noches, return with any reishi-based discoveries and report them to the council. After that, the Kido Corps were to discontinue their investigation of Hueco Mundo." Layla's eyes narrowed, "Without any further research on Gargantas."

"Plans change," Madadharma laughed, "We decided to extend our research."

"Against my brother's orders? Against the orders of your Captain?" Layla asked. "And since when, Madadharma, were you interested in developing research around Gargantas? I was under the impression, from what my brother told me of you, that you already had an extensive knowledge of dimensional transport from here to Hueco Mundo."

The laugh faded from Madadharma's face slowly, her red eyes suddenly glancing at Layla considerably.

"Please answer me this, Lieutenant," Layla's face tightened, "What are the names of my two colleagues here?" She raised a hand and waved it before Yoruichi and Byakuya.

There was an air of silence in the empty room that was heavily settling around the five of them. Layla's eyes narrowed further and Leta gave a tiny gasp of breath.

"Lieutenant?" Layla asked, her voice a note higher.

"They're captains from the Gotei 13," Madadharma said immediately, her voice hiding a laugh.

"I know," Layla smiled serenely, "What I don't know is why you're so hesitant to say their given names. Madame Madadharma, you've grown up in nobility, so of course you know these two from the numerous Summit Balls you've attended. Yet," She smiled wider, "you seem so hesitant to say their names, and so hasty to rudely send these respected nobles, your superiors, away from here."

A beat of silence struck again, before Madadharma smiled widely in return, her grin stretching across her pale face.

"Clever, Shinigami."

"Layla!" Yoruichi screamed, "Get away from her!"

Her and Byakuya flash-stepped to the corners of the room, as Leta and Layla followed suit. The four stared at the figure in the middle of the room, who was grinning sinisterly at them all.

"Oh ho ho," The Vice-Captain chuckled deeply, a gluttoral laugh emitting from her, "Well, you are quite smart for a bunch of pathetic nobles." She craned her neck forward and let it hang sideways, glancing at Layla, "I'm impressed."

"Where is Madame Madadharma?" Layla called from her corner, "The _real _Madadharma!"

"Real?" The woman cooed, "I am the real Madame Madadharma," Her voice slithered, "Or...this _body_, perhaps, once housed the real Madame Madadharma."

Leta's eyes widened, her face losing all of its color, "Oh my God..."

"But," The Vice-Captain gave a hack of a cough, clutching her throat, "Since you've figured everything out," She hacked again, "There's really no point in the ruse anymore, is there?"

Byakuya grimaced, his eyes narrowing in horror, "Disgusting..."

"This whole time?" Leta yelled in shock, spinning her stare to Yoruichi, who merely nodded.

"You're a Vasto Lorde," Yoruichi glared at the Vice-Captain, "Who has been using the Lieutenant as a host."

"Oooh," a snake-like tongue slithered out of Madadharma's mouth, "Yes, dearie," Her voice growing more high-pitched, like poisoned honey, "This poor poor Shinigami came to Hueco Mundo and poked her little head where it didn't belong. I daresay, it wasn't hard to take her over and come into the Soul Society," She paused and gave a cough that was mixed with a vomiting sound, "It was like-" another hack, only deeper and heavier, "-taking candy-"

The body of Madame Madadharma started to swell, puffing up and ripping the ends of the velvet dressrobe. The mouth of Madame Madadharma flew open and started to widen, thick crimson liquid running in tiny streams from her mouth down her throat.

"Brace yourself!" Yoruichi yelled.

"Dear heavenly-" Layla gasped.

"-FROM A BABY! BLUUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHH-"

The mouth had expanded too much and suddenly a loud crack snapped through the air. Leta shielded her face as Madadharma's jaw broke and blood spewed from her mouth. The sound of flesh ripping pervaded the air and a slimy hand rose from the throat of the Vice-Captain.

The four Shinigami stared in utter horror as the Vice Captain's body and clothing erupted and tore apart; a small creature crawling from what remained of the Lieutenant's mouth, covered in blood. It dropped to the ground as the fractured and dismembered body of Madame Madadharma fell to the floor.

It was five feet tall, its hands gloved in black from the elbow down, with its feet similarly from the knee down as well. It was feminine, with a subtle chest emphasized by a black cloth covering only her breasts and lower features like undergarments. A hollow hole was between her breasts, with what looked like a spider-web vine pattern surrounding it. She was thin and gangly, with a short neck and hair that was dark green and in dreadlocks. The mask covering her face looked grotesque, like pieces of a map glued together, large holes letting her red eyes shine through and the mouth was carved to where its teeth looked like that of a shark.

"Finally," The creature sighed, wiping the blood from its mouth with its leathery forearm, "It was getting cramped in there."

"You-" Leta was stunned, "-Madame Madadharma-"

"Oh, don't fret, Shinigami," The creature snickered, "That pathetic excuse for a Shinigami has been dead for a loooooong time."

"You monster!" Leta yelled. "Who are you?"

"Bah," The creature sneered, "Introductions?" Leta blinked at the being was hovering above her face. "Are those really necessary?"

It thrust its hand down to impale Leta and she dodged it without hesitation. The 3rd Seat's body skid along the floor, a splash of blood hitting the metal flooring. Layla let out an exclamation of worry, as Leta gripped her left arm, down on one knee. The dodge had been successful, but barely. The creature had nicked her instead.

"Oooh," It raised its hand, black as if encased in a glove, to its face and licked the crimson off its fingers. "Impressive."

"I will ask again for my friend," Yoruichi was beside Leta, glancing down at her. "You're cornered, four against one. Who are you?"

"Do you honestly think that frightens me, Shinigami?" The creature laughed. "But if you must know the name of your murderer," She took a step forward, "It's Virvi Medusa," She smiled evilly, "Vasto Lorde."

"Are you okay?" Yoruichi glanced down at Leta, who had let go of her arm.

"Yeah, just a scratch," Leta nodded, her eyes narrowed. "I'm fine."

"Now," The Vasto Lorde ran a finger in front of her, looking over each of the Shinigami with a smile, "which one of you do I kill first?" She giggled, which only sounded vicious coming from the hollow, "There's so many to choose from-"

The doors from outside the Kido Corps suddenly snapped open with a loud explosion, the four Shinigami moving toward the main entrance to the Kido Corps headquarters. The Vasto Lorde looked at the blown-in door with a curious stare. From the smoke came a firm voice,

"Bankai."

A vicious spew of ice and cold air spread across the room, white pieces of ice frosting the corners of the room like snowy glass.

A young voice spoke from the frosty mist, "Daiguren Hyorinmaru."

Leta shivered, her eyes shielded with her hand, "What on earth-?"

"That was fast enough," Yoruichi's face broke into a grin.

"Oooh," Virvi smirked, "More Shinigami?"

"I assume we arrived just in time, Yoruichi?" Toshiro Hitsugaya and Ichigo Kurosaki, who was clutching Zangetsu, arose from the smoke and ice-filled haze, both posed ready to strike.

Toshiro gave the Vasto Lorde a confident side-smile, "You must be the Vasto Lorde we've heard so much about."

_**Blaaaaaah, I hate to stop here! But I hope this keeps you in some suspense until the next chapter! :) **_

_**What's up next?  
Well, let's just say: **_

_**-Lot's of fighting  
-Karin Kurosaki (did you miss her this chapter? T_T well, I did!)  
-More Twists and Turns  
-Another Revelation about the Vasto Lordes! ^^**_

_**I hope you can be patient with me as I finish out this last of the semester. I appreciate all the support I get from you all. Thank you for being loyal to this story!**_

_**-Romania Black**_


	53. The Potential of Pawns

Ahhh, so school is FINALLY over, but I've also taken up a summer job, hence why writing this took three weeks longer than it should have. Blahhhh. I apologize (again -_- ) I am going to try and keep on track with this story, since this fall is going to be overly stressful for me (Great, right?).

However, I hope I haven't been too cruel in making you wait this long for the next chapter. I do apologize! Thank you all for being so supportive and liking the story! I hope you stick around and keep on the ride. :) I write for you guys...and pretty much only you guys. And sometimes myself.

Special thanks and answers to comments to:

**samsox, Azaria Stromsis, BaS23** (Thanks for following me on here too! I hope you like where the story goes and can offer advice and feedback...haha, all that jazz. :P ), **emickohania21, Taeniaea** (Thanks! I hope you like the upcoming chapters!), **Dylan Hooper** (Thank you so much! *hug* Sorry for the wait, I hope this was a soon enough update...and that you enjoy the chapter!), **Linnette, Hakkuchi **(Thank you! I try to make the chapters longer, so at least you get more for your wait -_-, but YES I've missed writing Karin in too! She's back starting this chapter though! Yay! I hope you like it!), **A.A. Gabriel, kaileyrox, Drink the Bleach, Hell's Bad Angel **(Thank you so much! I really appreciate that comment! I hope the next chapters do the same improvement; I'll be anxious for feedback!), **Alexmommy, Amazu, bleach-chan **(I'm sorry for making you wait so long for this update! Silly school...As for Karin...you'll have to see the next couple of chapters to see her make a move, but other good news! Byakuya's in this! :D yay! I hope you like it! *hug*), **Turtle-chan in Blue **(hahahaha, well, I suppose my only answer would be that Madadharma pleaded for her life, and maybe gave Virvi a lot of information about where she worked, what they were doing, etc...before it didn't work and Virvi decided to use her as a host anyway. But good point!), **Dark Inu Fan **(haha! Thank you! And yes, Ichigo NEEDS that theme song whenever he enters a room! haha), **bloodyrose1294 **(Thanks! Yeah, I have to re-read sometimes to actually remember if I've included a certain detail or haven't discussed it yet...so I totally understand what you're saying! haha, but YES I was even a bit grossed out writing that one scene, but I still thought it was kind of cool. Glad to hear it freaked people out too! :D And yes, I've missed Karin! But she's back this chapter! Hope you like it!), **airi-07** (ah...you may get your wished answered in this chapter and the next couple! haha)**,** and** Snow246 **(Ah! Please don't hate me for the wait. Eep! haha, Thank you! I hope you like this chapter too!)

I hope you like the new chapter! Feel free to comment, asking questions or just offering suggestions/reviews. ^^ They're always welcomed!  
It's been awhile, so feel free to backtrack if you get hung up on certain parts.

Thank you all,

Romania Black

**Chapter Fifty-Three**

**You'd kill the killer  
If the knife was at my throat  
Save me from the pain**

**If it was your throat  
I'd cleave that body in two  
Save you from my shame**

"Wait," Karin lifted her head and gave the Elder a confused stare, "_all _of the Vasto Lordes? What in Hell are you talking about?"

Karin's mind was trying to wrap around everything the Elder was saying. Within the span of two hours she had been thrown against the side of a jail cell and forced to reveal information about her friends, used as a sacrifice to transform a hollow into its most powerful form, healed by the same hollow that had sliced a sword through her abdomen, and then suddenly had doubled over due to the lack of air caused by the enormous spiritual pressure of a group of Vasto Lordes gathered below her feet, presumably invading to do who knew what.

_Today's just getting better and better, _Karin cynically groaned clutched the white fabric around her chest. Her arms still felt completely numb and wobbly, so sitting up was proving to be a challenge.

"I wissssh," The Elder hissed, elongating the 's' of seemingly every other word, "I could explain quicker." The Vasto Lordes crouched down slowly beside Karin, its head cocked curiously as it looked down at her. Karin glanced up to see its shark teeth twist into a sinister, almost pitying, sneer. "But you'll know ssssoon enough. I promissssse."

"Funny," Karin grunted with slight pain, "but I think that's a promise I won't care for you to keep." The spiritual pressure outside was starting to lower, but still made the air around the young Shinigami thick and stifling. Luckily, the healing liquid the Elder had placed on her abdomen was working its magic, and she barely felt any pain from her injury before.

Suddenly there was a rap at the door. It wasn't heavy like a knocking, but rather a ripple of fingernails across the wooden entrance to the second floor. It was chilling how quiet, yet audible, the sound was. Karin flinched and scooted herself forward, away from the entrance. The Elder snickered,

"How like a worm you look," It observed.

"Bite me," Karin glared.

"Ahhh," the Elder sighed as it reached to unlatch the door, "Pleassse, don't tempt me."

The door opened up and much to Karin's surprise a thick orange-tinged chunk of a hand gripped the side of the opening and hoisted the body attached to it into the room. This was not the hand that had rapped on the door to begin with. It couldn't be; this creature had no fingernails.

The orange ball of flesh was attached to an even bigger body, a large swollen hollow had a mask shoved over its head, covering its body much like Sonido's only its seemed so tight the rolls of orange flesh were flowing from underneath it. A large tongue was wagging freely out of its mouth, which was filled with a mix of teeth both sharp and dull. It lagged its head to the side as it looked at Karin and then lunged its huge body forward.

"Gulo-" The tender, cooing male voice stopped the hollow in its tracks, like a master calling his dog to him, "Would you not help me into this disreputable estate?"

The hollow stopped what it was doing and spun around to the doorway in the floor, "S'Pardon, Great King," It said sloppily, drooling, and held out its large arm for the person below to use as a hoist. The hand that gripped its arm was delicate, sinowy and bone white. Karin gulped quietly, hiding somewhat behind the Elder; _this was the hand that had rapped on the door_.

"There we are." The figure rose into the room akin to a vine reaching towards the last vein of sunlight outside; gracefully and with purpose. Karin stared; the Vasto Lorde was incredibly, almost freakishly tall, and rail thin. It was also the oddest looking hollow Karin had ever met; its body was that of an abnormally stretched skeleton wearing a black and pale silver pinstriped suit. The creepiest feature was its mask, a hollowed skull with dull glowing eyes and a calm, thin, smile. It looked around the room with an air of disappointment, "Dear, dear Elder," The hollow said in a sophisticated voice, "this room is so...human."

"It's pressserved," The Elder mused, but Karin could hear the lacy undertone of irritation in the Vasto Lorde's voice. It clearly did not care for the guest's insult.

"I see," The so-called Great King replied in a bored fashion, waving its delicate bone hand dismissively. Karin hoped his eyes would overlook her, a speck of black and white on the wooden floor low like a wounded dog behind the Elder.

It was a fleeting hope. With one smooth swish of the glowing eyeball, Karin knew it was bearing down on her. The hair rose on the back of her neck as the Vasto Lorde's voice soothingly murmured,

"And _what _do we have here?" The Vasto Lorde, Karin took as a male, eyed her with a slight sneer of a smirk spreading across the skeletal teeth. "It's been decades since I've seen a Shinigami with my own eyes," He paused, emphasizing, "_centuries _perhaps." He leaned forward a touch to take her in; the dark black hair loose and scraggly on her shoulders, wearing a slighty worn body suit and ripped white pants and half-jacket. He stared hard at her eyes, which made Karin feel all the more uneasy. It was as if the Vasto Lorde was trying to rip out her eyeballs without even touching them.

"Take a picture," Karin glared, trying to seem unafraid of the blank, deathly stare, "it'll last longer."

The Vasto Lordes immediately rose to full height, stretched his bony skull back into the air and let out a rich, hearty laugh. It didn't feel hearty to Karin though, it seemed void of emotion; a charade.

"And with an attitude," The Vasto Lorde wiped an invisible tear from the corner of its eye, "Adorable. Simply...Elder," He turned to give a look to the older Vasto Lorde standing beside Karin, "You do indeed deliver as promised. She will be perfect."

The young Shinigami rose to her knees, "Perfect?" Her voice was suddenly tense, "Perfect for _what_?"

The Vasto Lorde named Gulo gnashed its large gleaming teeth, "For eating you!" It chomped, chortling as it did. Karin, on her feet, took a step backward in disgust.

"Easy, Gulo," The tall Vasto Lorde sighed, bored, "This little dove is but a mere child; I doubt she has the head for your jokes, Shinigami or not. Am I right," He cooed, mocking her, "Little dove?"

"I don't have the head for anything you say," Karin said loudly, angry. _Vasto Lorde or not, he's not going to make me out to be child here. I don't care how powerful he is! _And Karin wished she had a sword in her hand, for she would be ready to attack him at any moment.

"Oh ho," The Vasto Lorde said amusingly, the skull eyes seeming to widen in surprise, "Quite a mouth, this little dove has. Do you not know who I am, turtle dove?"

"I'm no turtle dove, and no, I don't," She growled, taking a step forward past the Elder, "But I don't care, I'm going to shut your smug fa-"

A sudden blow caught her by surprise, and she flew backwards, past the Elder and into the floor, landing in a tangled heap behind the ageless Vasto Lorde. Karin gathered her wits about her, the anger flooding her mind despite the pain searing through her body from the hit.

"Come on," Karin rattled off, rising to her feet, "Who was it? What jerk threw that unnecessary kick? I'll take you o-"

Karin stopped dead in her tracks, the color draining from her face, her fist, lifted in mid-air, was frozen. The figure who had kicked her was standing in front of her, his arms crossed firmly across his chiseled baby blue-white chest.

"Will you, Shinigami?" Sonido cut her off with a deep, irritated sigh, "I highly doubt you will be doing anything of the sort."

* * *

The entire front lobby of the Kido Corps headquarters was covered in a mixture of frost and ice created by Toshiro Hitsuguya's Bankai. He stood at the doorway leading into the lobby, his long blade glinting in front of him with the light bouncing off the crystallized floor. Ichigo, was beside him, Zangetsu held out and ready to strike.

"Looks like we showed up in time," Ichigo observed, noticing the others around him with a glance. His eyes gave Leta and Layla a slightly confused glance; he didn't know who they were. He also noticed one of them, the younger looking of the two, was crouched next to Yoruichi, forcing herself to let go of her arm, a tiny stream of crimson running down it. "You're hurt-" He couldn't finish since he did not know her.

"-Leta," She informed him, "And I'm fine, thank you," She noted, rising to her feet. Yoruichi gave her a look that suggested otherwise.

Layla was now staring at Ichigo as if he was an alien, her gray eyes wide without understanding. "Captain Kuchiki-" She began to inquire, but Byakuya cut her off with a frown, not hearing her.

"Always so crude with your entrances," He gave a disapproving glare toward Ichigo, "I really shouldn't be surprised at this point though, should I?"

"Ah," Ichigo let out a large sideways smirk, "It is weird now that we're not fighting each other, eh, Byakuya?"

Byakuya's frown deepened; both at Ichigo's ignoring of his comment, but also at the neglect of addressing him properly. Layla glanced between Ichigo and Byakuya,

"Why does he address you so crudely?" She pointed at Ichigo. "Is it possible he's a fellow noble?"

"Nothing of the sort," Byakuya grimaced, grinding his teeth as he spoke. The idea was purely insulting. "Addressing individuals without regard of rank or position is simply how he functions."

Ichigo frowned, and was about to comment, when a figure lept from the icy fog and took a strike toward the Shinigami representative. Ichigo raised Zangetsu, lept to the side and went down to strike the figure from the side. The attacker dropped fast to the ground and spun its right leg toward Ichigo, attempting to hit his ankle and bring him down. Ichigo slid backward and the figure slide the opposite direction.

Yoruichi's brows furrowed, "Be on your guard, Ichigo!"

"_Ichigo_?" The voice from the fog crooned in a high pitched squeak, "Soooo," Virvi's gnarled mask emerged from the fog, "_You're _Ichigo Kurosaki."

Leta's eyes widened, "Oh, of course!" She nodded, giving Yoruichi an understanding glance, "I can definitely see the resemblence between him and Karin."

"Karin?" Ichigo spun around to look at Leta, "You know Kar-"

Virvi had took her chance with Ichigo turned and had rushed toward him, ready to ram her hand through his neck. Instead of decapitating him though, her hand was grabbed by Byakuya and he swung her away, like a child would a rag doll, into the opposing wall. The Vasto Lorde caught herself against the wall, crouching like a spider on the side of it.

"Honestly, Kurosaki," Byakuya frowned at the Shinigami Representative, lifting his blade to counter the hand of the Vasto Lorde as it took a swing toward him. Byakuya avoided the hand and pointed a finger toward the hollow. A blast of blue-white light flashed from the fingertip and flew past Virvi's shoulder, barely missing contact. The Vasto Lorde, unaffected, tucked her short legs into her chest and gave a powerful kick outward, landing square in Byakuya's chest and sending him skidding on the floor away from her, his hand clutching his chest from the blow. She spun around to face Ichigo, her green dreadlocks swinging in a tangle,

"Yes, honestly, Kurosaki," Her masked face tilted sideways, "What are you thinking, challenging me?"

"Where is Karin?" Ichigo blurted out, his zanpakuto swung backwards like a baseball bat.

"Ichigo-" Yoruichi was moving forward, her face tensed. Leta was behind her, her hand on her sword, but Layla's eyes were shooting her cautionary glances from across the lobby.

"Karin?" Virvi's playful frown was seen beneath the mangled mask, "I wish I knew who you're talking abou-"

Before she could finish, Toshiro flew from above and ran his sword above his head and quickly ran it straight down upon her, ice spewing onto her arm, which blocked it from going any deeper. The Vasto Lorde cackled out loud,

"Awww, whoever this Karin is, you all must have a large hankerin' for savin' her!" Her voice had a slight twang to it when she laughed, "But sadly, I don't know who you're talking about." Her hand slipped toward Toshiro's and she grabbed the blade of his sword and pushed it forward. Toshiro's eyes widened, did she want him to slice her? The answer came too late, as instead of slicing, the sword moved past her to the side and she used the leverage to knee the Captain in the chin. Hitsuguya gave a cry of pain and a spurt of blood jutted from his lips as he staggered backward. Virvi spun around in a circle and kicked him backward; Toshiro didn't fall to the ground, rather he stopped on one knee, glancing up at her with cursing eyes.

"Bullshit," Toshiro gave a pained huff.

"Your comrades took her to Hueco Mundo!" Ichigo yelled, his brown eyes full of fury, ready to lunge toward her.

_Why is she toying with us? _Yoruichi thought to herself, _She was cornered and started to attack, but ever since Ichigo got here she's let up...It's as if she's just dodging our attacks now...but...why?_ It didn't make sense to the femme feline. She gave a quick look toward the others. Leta and Layla bore expressions that stated the same thoughts were running in their heads as well.

Byakuya, however, was already moving towards the Vasto Lorde with his sword.

"Scatter-"

"Bakudo 81," Layla raised her hand in the air, the sleeves of her purple and green peacock print kimono flashing, "Danku."

The large wall of Kido rose from the air, a transparent mass that caused Byakuya to hesitate and pull away from the Vasto Lorde. He landed beside where Layla had shunpo'd to, whipping his head in her direction, "Why did you-"

"Had you released your zanpakuto," Layla said calmly, "Not only would you have been open to her attack, but you would have damaged the Kido Corps lobby even further."

Byakuya stared at her with a blank expression. Ichigo gave her a look of disbelief,

"You didn't want the lobby destroyed?" He stated aloud, confused, "Have you looked at this place lately?" The area was littered with ice snow, and broken pieces of metal and glass from Toshiro's Bankai releasing.

Byakuya glared at Ichigo from the corner of his eye, a clear death threat, but Layla gave him a thin, almost pitying smile as the Kido fell to translucent pieces in front of her and Byakuya, "True, but Captain Byakuya Kuchiki is a Noble; one of the Four Great Noble Families in fact. Unlike Captain Hitsuguya, he cannot be soiling his hands with disreputably destroying sacred constructs."

Ichigo and Toshiro merely stared at her, dumbfounded by her logic. Yoruichi and Leta though, had already made a move and were advancing the Vasto Lorde.

"HIIIYAH!" Yoruichi had activated an attack called Shunko, which enveloped her arms and shoulders with a white lightning-like energy. She thrusted her arm forward and punched the Vasto Lorde's chest, sending it reeling backward, a spit of blood escaping its mask, in time for Leta to slice the hollow with her drawn blade.

The Vasto Lorde, however, used the slick floor to her advantage and let herself slide on her shins and stomach across the floor and directly under Leta. The youngest Kamaguchi, thrown off by the move, took a second longer to react and by the time she'd spun around, Virvi had propelled herself off the ice and was flashing toward the Shinigami. Leta threw her sword up to deflect an immediate attack, and Yoruichi flew above Leta, her one leg raised high in the air. With a powerful thrust, she let the leg swing downward and crash onto the Vasto Lorde's head, sending her flying into the ice. She spun around and gave a quick glance to Ichigo and Toshiro.

"Since neither of you two are Nobles," Yoruichi frowned, her golden eyes blazing, "and this isn't a one-on-one battle, how about coming here and assisting?"

Ichigo let out a huff of air, then smirked as he and Toshiro rushed to help Leta and Yoruichi, "Just don't get in my way!"

* * *

"W-what?" Karin stared up at the Vasto Lorde who had kicked her, the one she knew the most out of the group surrounding her. "What are you-"

"Hmm," The skeletal Vasto Lorde leaned forward and looked between Sonido and Karin, his glowing orb eyes settling on Karin's face, watching her intently as he spoke, "It would seem as if this Shinigami knows you." His voice was steady and smooth.

Karin silenced herself, her face slack and panicked. A thought flashed through her mind, _He doesn't know about the information I've given Sonido...he doesn't know about Ichigo or Toshiro. _

"Of course she would," Sonido grumbled, his voice more gravely than Karin remembered. _More like it was when he kidnapped me_, she suddenly recognized. "I was her captor," Sonido continued, "How could she not remember me, Great King?"

"I see," The so-called Great King nodded, scratching his bony chin with spidery, defined fingers. "I had almost forgot you were the one who captured this Shinigami and stored her here for us."

Karin did a double-take, her face flashing from Sonido up toward the skeletal Vasto Lorde, "What did you just say?" Her eyes widened in surprise, "Who are you? What do you want with me?"

The self-proclaimed leader of the hollows laughed again, this time his voice sounding a touch more sinister, "Ah, what a persistent little dove," He cooed, a bony finger running under her chin; Karin flinched at the icy touch. "If you must put faces to names, I will tell you mine." The Vasto Lorde stretched to his full height, towering above Karin. She guessed he had to be at least seven feet tall. "My name is Laviathon Luisenbarn, Great King of the Vasto Lordes-"

"One of them," The Elder commented softly from the sidelines, but only Karin was sure she heard it, because Laviathon continued,

"-and soon-to-be Head Ruler of Hueco Mundo. There," The skeleton smiled, "I've shared my name with you. As for what we're going to do with you-"

"Sir," Gulo slurped nervously from near the doorway, "I'an hear her downstairs," and he pointed through the doorway, his flopping tongue wagging impatiently, "Lilith's tired 'o waitin'."

The Great King sighed, sneering sarcasticly, "Oh, of course she is, the recluse." He craned his neck to look down at Karin, "Don't worry too much, dove," and he patted her gently on the top of her head, an act that sent chills spiking down her spine, "You will know as soon as you get there. Sonido," He glanced at the Vasto Lorde, his voice colder, "bring her."

Sonido clutched ahold of Karin's arms and forced her to her feet, standing behind her as his hands gripped her two. Karin felt the coldness of his chest on her neck, not knowing what to think anymore. There were so many questions rushing through her head; she didn't know which one to ask first. She wished she could see his eyes, his face, anything but the dead stiffness of his chest.

"Dear King," The Elder suddenly raised a bony finger into the air, causing the four to pause and stare back at it, "May I invite mysssself along for the Gathering'ssss ceremony?"

For a second, Laviathon seemed to seriously consider this, his eyes looking black and blank. Karin held her breath, wondering what was making him think about this question longer than it seemed necessary.

"Of course," He finally replied, his skeleton skull breaking into a large smile, "Let us leave, brethren. I see nothing wrong with The Elder attending the ceremony."

But Karin could see there clearly was something that troubled Laviathon about the Elder coming with them, and she wasn't sure if finding out was going to make her feel more at ease or disturbed.

* * *

"Damn it!" Ichigo swung Zangetsu to the side, aiming for Virvi's head, but she ducked and was instead swung at by an icy wave from Toshiro's sword. The Vasto Lorde kicked herself above the Captain's head and instead went in the air to meet Leta's kicking leg with her own.

Ichigo slid on the ground, gazing up as Leta and Virvi collided fists and legs against each other in a blur. "We're not landing a _single _punch...how is that _possible_?"

"She's all speed," Yoruichi huffed, standing beside Ichigo and wiping her mouth with a bruised fist. "If you notice, we've only landed a few hits, and those have had some damage." Ichigo looked ahead at the Vasto Lorde. It was true; where Yoruichi had landed a few punches and kicks, there was blood and broken bits of mask missing. "Our problem is that she's excellent at dodging," the cat woman gave Ichigo an exasperated look, "She's simply wearing us down at this point."

Ichigo whirled his head at Byakuya and Layla, who were standing there watching the scene unfold nonchalantly, "And you two! Aren't you going to help us?" He shot Byakuya an especially aggravated look, "You know, that Bankai of yours would be really helpful right about now!"

Byakuya remained silent, but Yoruichi could tell the comment had irked him, the way his purple eyes were narrowed and gleaming. Layla on the other hand, did not remain quiet.

"Dear boy, I appreciate the concern," Her face was as emotionless as a porcelain doll's, "But if you, Yoruichi Shihoin, my sister Leta Kamaguchi, and Captain Hitsuguya cannot handle this situation, then of course we shall step in."

"_Seriously?"_ Ichigo yelled, not believing what he was hearing. "So you're just _using _us to wear her down?"

"Generals send their lower ranked soldiers onto the frontlines to give and take the first strikes against the enemy," The eldest Kamaguchi looked as if this was common knowledge. "Or have you never utilized strategy in battle?" Ichigo stared at her childishly as if she was insane. Layla looked up and gave Byakuya a simple smile, "I can see now how he would annoy you."

The Sixth Division Captain said nothing in reply, but Yoruichi was certain that the corners of his mouth turned upward ever the slightest at her words.

"Besides," Layla smiled serenely, "It is not as if there are other enemies to worry about at the moment."

_True, _Ichigo thought as he dodged a slice of the Vasto Lorde's arm, coming down like a blade, "It's still doesn't change the fact that you're using us," He called out to her in frustration, as he dodged another blow and Yoruichi came up from behind to take another kick at the hollow.

"I fail to understand that statement," Layla called back, her brow slightly furrowed in confusion, "I was under the impression you were accustomed to being used by the Soul Society?"

Ichigo shot the noble a look of pure anger and barely missed a punch to the face by the Vasto Lorde. Leta came up from the side of the Vasto Lorde and swung her sword toward Virvi, but the hollow slid to the side, causing Yoruichi to pull back at the last second to avoid her foot colliding with Leta's sword. Leta skidded to a stop as Toshiro ran up beside them, shooting a beam of frozen water at the hollow as she slid further from them to the other side of the lobby.

"This is pointless," Leta huffed, hands on her knees, "We're getting nowhere fighting this way."

"If I had more room," Toshiro frowned, "I could probably trap easily. But-" He glanced around at the enclosed structure, knowing he didn't have to finish the sentence.

"That was her plan, more than likely," Yoruichi gritted her teeth, "If we take this fight outside of this building, the Kido Corps will surely know if not the rest of the Soul Society." Her eyes glanced at the Vasto Lorde, who seemed to be waiting patiently on the otherside of the room, licking blood off her hand in a most mocking fashion of a cat. "She knows our goal is to keep this fight contained, so the Council as well as the rest of the Soul Society doesn't panic. Damn," She wiped her mouth quickly with her fist, thinking of their next move.

"Is your group huddle done yet?" The Vasto Lorde's smile could be seen gleaming through the distorted mask, "I'm growing bored with this workout, to be perfectly honest," She stopped licking her hand, "When are another of you going to release your Shikai or Bankai?" Her voice sounded lit with glee, "His is okay, but I wanna see more!"

"She's taunting us," Toshiro growled, glaring at her.

"Of course she is," Yoruichi muttered in soft reply.

"This is pathetic," Virvi cooed, glancing at her fingernails, "I think I'll just stand here and catch my breath while you pidgeons decide what to do," She said in a bored fashion.

"Damn it," Ichigo murmured under his breath, his eyes narrowed angrily on the Vasto Lorde.

"Should we take the bait?" Toshiro asked the cat woman with a serious glance. "At this point, could it hurt?"

"How can we take any bait?" Yoruichi gave the captain a dissapproving glance. "Ichigo's already in Shikai and his Bankai is still too unstable to call. I do not have my zanpakuto here with me, and while Shunko would work, I need to be able to connect the hits to do so." Ichigo noticed out of the corner of his eye that Leta was becoming more and more visibly frustrated by Yoruichi's declarations; the apples of her cheeks becoming a bright pink color. "And you're already in Bankai, but need a larger space to use any efficient attack-"

"Enough!" Leta yelled, her large hazel eyes furious. The three stared at her with surprised expressions, not certain how to handle this unexpected look of anger flashing on the Shinigami's young face. Even the Vasto Lorde perked her head up, offering a slightly amused glance at Leta. The third seat spun her head toward Layla and Byakuya, her strawberry blonde hair whipping at her back.

"How _long _are you two going to stand there?" She barked in a low, spiteful voice, causing both Byakuya and Layla to stare at her in surprise, "This isn't a matter of being Noble or stoic," She growled, "this is a matter of protecting the Soul Society; being Shinigami and taking out the enemy! I'm about to-"

Leta was silenced by a thunderous pounding from the entrance of the Kido Corps lobby, sending its metal door flying across the icy floor like a silver pebble and landing in between where Leta, Byakuya, and Layla were standing off. The three, along with everyone else in the room including the Vasto Lorde, flashed their heads to see what had caused the explosion.

From the icy mist a fling of tuquoise hair was all that was seen. Before anyone could even make an immediate movement a pale arm flew out of the fog and grabbed Toshiro by the collar of his haori. Before anyone in the room could utter a word of exclamation, the Tenth Division Captain was tossed outside of the lobby, where a peek of sunlight was shining through the icy air around them into the room.

"That was the one I was supposed to grab, right?" The figure had stopped moving, so the fog could lift from around it. "Right, brat?" The voice grew impatient, "Brat? Brat! Oi," Grimmjow Jaegerjaques gave a hiss of a sigh and ran his hand against his forehead, irritated, "She's outside with him. Sonofa-"

"Grimmjow?"

The newly formed Vasto Lorde slowly turned behind him. His teal eyes bore steadily into the face of the one who'd called his name; a Shinigami with spiky orange hair and a sword as tall as he was, bearing a look of mixed shock and confusion.

"Finally," He licked his lips hungrily, "I found you, Ichigo."

* * *

_What the Hell was that? _The world was black to the captain, but Toshiro could feel the sunlight on the back of his head, scorching his pale neck. Realizing his eyes were closed, the diminuitive captain lifted himself slightly off the ground, resting his weight on his forearms, and spat out a chunk of dirt he was certain also contained grass and who knew what else.

_What the Hell was that?_ He thought, his mind flooding with anger._ At least I wasn't thrown through any walls but still..._ He slowly started to rise up when he heard the sound of metal scraping across his back. _What the- _Was he being attacked? _No pain, but_-He suddenly reached behind him and realized-

"You won't be needing this," the edge of his own sword was pointing at him, in the hands of a small child-sized hollow, "will you?" Her unmasked red eye narrowed with false innocence.

"Give that back!" Toshiro lunged for his sword but missed, as the hollow jumped to the side of him.

"Like I would," She sneered, her rose-colored pigtails swishing from side to side.

Toshiro suddenly paused and spun his head to look at her. _Wait-_"I know you," He pointed at her as realization dawned on his face, "You're the hollow that helped kidnap Karin," His brows furrowed and his face grew tighter with sudden apprehension. His lips barely moved as he spoke, "Why are you here? Where is she?"

"Easy, easy, loverboy," the hollow girl snickered, the sword blade swinging in front of her and digging into the dirt, "I'm here," her smile deepened darkly, "To take you to her."

**Annnnnnnd...that's all for the moment!**

**Sorry to make you wait so long. I'm going to try my hardest to have the next chapter up as soon as I can! I hope your summer is going good so far and that it stays in full swing! **

**Thank you all for all your support and comments about the story! They really inspire and help me write these chapters. :)**

**Summer lovin',**

**Romania Black**


	54. Follow Me Into the Dark Blindly

I intended to have this chapter done two months ago, I really did. WHERE does time go to? I'm in school now, and it's college, so I'm constantly busy...but I've added to this chapter bit by bit. I apologize (I seem to be forever doing this) for the wait. But I hope with this chapter it's worth a little of it!

I cannot thank you all enough for the amazing support I've had in this story! More kind words and comments then I've ever received! Thank you all so, so very much!

Special Thanks to:

**Narutofan3721, Every shadow has its twin **(Thank you so much! I apologize that this update comes so late, but hopefully the Toshiro and Ichigo parts will be worth it.), **airi-07 **(haha, well if you like Sonido and Karin moments, you'll probably like this chapter then! ^^)**, The Literary Lord, HokkaidoMaster **(I think by the next chapter, the Metempsychis business will be clearer to you. But thank you so much for your kind words! I wanted Karin's story to be a romance, but with action and plot as the center...since that's more like how Bleach actually is in my opinion. I'm so glad you like my OCs! I wanted them to fit in the Bleach universe as well as possible. And I'm sure Karin will be seeing her inner world soon enough, eh? ^^), **sendicard **(THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the amazing reviews! Reading them as you were reading along the story was so awesome. To answer a few of your reviews with burning questions: Ichigo has a gigai because I started this story before the whole Mugetsu, Ichigo vs Aizen, current arc business, so I guess you could consider this an alternate reality of Bleach. Ichigo's working to get his Shinigami powers back, but is still human enough to need a gigai. ^^. Yeah, Trigger's not the best name for her in my opinion, but it's not meant to be...you'll find out soon enough. The barrier bit of chapter 40...Yoruichi turned into a cat to escape! hehe, how's that for doding the bullet? Chapter 27...holy cow, her sword wrapped in bandages is SO Ichigo! *facepalm* You got me there. Chapter 25, does Toshiro want Karin? Hmmm... ), **LUNAticX, sman97, bloodaddict13, akuma-chan25300, SM3LLY, Bleachcrazy **(Thank you! I'm sorry for the late update, but here it is!), **Chouji09, ThatNinjaInYourCloset** (Thank you so much! Seriously, your kind words are so appreciated! *hug* Well...haha, by the time Grimmjow left the Elder's, luckily he was given pants. ^^ It's mentioned in this chapter, and after reading your review, I realized this was the first time it was mentioned. Whoops. haha!), **aangfan **(Thank you! I hope you like where it keeps going to! ^^), **Sleepyreader319 **(I hope this wasn't too late of an update!), **AeternusTempestas, Dylan Hooper **(Wow, my story is art? I'm more than flattered! *hug* I hope this update wasn't too agrivating; thank you!), **ca99oline** (I hope this wait wasn't too bad!)**, Avatarfan444, turtle-chan in blue** (Ah, no, he had the suit made for himself...though I just realized that the way I describe him, he looks like Jack Skelington from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Oh my.), **the lover of anime **(Well, you won't find out what they're doing to Karin this chapter...but...Ichigo and Grimmjow's confrontation...err, sort of, starts this chapter! And Leviathon...oh, he's just a jerk. A BIG jerk as you'll come to see.), **samsox **(Right? Don't you just hate nobility?), **morganclaire1, Regin, **and **Taeniaea **(Thank you so much! Hope you like the rest of it too!).

Author's Note: For some reason I had Gulo in the last chapter say "Lilith's waiting..." When I meant to write "Elsa's waiting." I have no clue why that happened. My brain must have been shut off. -_-

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Romania Black

**Chapter Fifty-Four**

**into this darkness  
shallow grave I dig for you  
palms intertwined  
walk blindly my hand in yours  
never seeing my true face**

Toshiro Hitsugaya stared at the hollow girl with a glazed-over confusion, his head in a fog. _Take me to her? _"What-what are you saying?"

Trigger gave the Captain a smug frown, though it was clear she was taking pleasure from her current position of control. "Are you deaf in addition to being an idiot-"

"Why are you doing this?" Toshiro lunged towards her, but she gripped his zanpakuto and held the blade steadily between them, her eyes narrowing fiercely,

"Nah ah ah," She crooned calmly, "Remember who has the advantage here."

"Please," Toshiro scoffed angrily, rising to full height and dusting his knees off, "I could take that sword back if I wanted to, right here and now." He stared at her grimly.

"But you won't," Trigger teased, the blade flicking in her hand, her face breaking into a small smirk, "because you want to know more about how to save your little lady."

Toshiro's head perked up suddenly, his eyes wide, "Save? What do you mean by save? Is she in danger?" His voice became more urgent and pressing.

Trigger gave him an annoyed stare, "Well, obviously, lover boy," She sneered, "if she's not with you or I, she's certainly not safe-"

"Fine, I don't have time to stand here and talk," Toshiro's brow furrowed angrily, "Just open up a Garganta and let's go to Hueco Mundo."

Trigger sighed in frustration, "It's not that easy," She ran a hand through her crimson hair. "Currently, I'm unable to do that, but the black box Grimmjow gave you provides us a way to teleport directly to Hueco Mundo."

Toshiro stared blankly at her, a moment's pause between them. He raised an eyebrow slowly, "Black box?"

Trigger spun around toward the demolished Kido Corps entrance, frost still escaping into the outside air; her rose-colored eye blazing in fury, "That Bastard didn't give you the box?"

* * *

It had been quiet for nearly an hour. Karin had been walked alongside the Vasto Lordes Sonido, who was pretending as if he'd never seen her before, the fat orange-skinned Gulo, the creepy Elder, and one of the supposed rulers of Hueco Mundo, the Great King Leviathon Luisenbarn. The other figure that supposedly had traveled with them, a being she only knew as "Elsa" was nowhere in sight. _He said she was a recluse...maybe she didn't want to be seen, _Karin mused as she kept walking in front of Sonido.

Despite the closeness and duration of her proximity to Sonido's chest, her face was still frozen against his the hardness of his flesh. Her whole body was tense, fists clenched tight in his palms as she waited in everlasting anticipation of her fate.

The everlasting anticipation lasted only an extra fifteen minutes, until the small caravan of Vasto Lordes and Karin stopped in front of what appeared to be a large sand dune. A sand dune with the surrounding area littered with hollow masks and bones sticking out of the ground.

The faint smell of rotting flesh made Karin wince, as Luisenbarn made a sweeping gesture toward the small black square she assumed was the entrance into the dune.

"My dear Shinigami, welcome!" Leviathon exclaimed in a grandiose fashion.

Karin looked at the entrance with a drained expression, "To what?"

Leviathon snickered, leaning down and elbowing Gulo gently, "Oh, 'to what' the Shinigami asks! How cute," He gave a slight tickle underneath Karin's chin. Karin wished more than anything that she could smack it away, but her hands was clasped by Sonido. Instead she grimaced and tried to twist her head away.

Leviathon laughed at the gesture, "Oh what a sad day, when a Shinigami can do no more than shake her head at me. Sad," He sneered, "for you." The Vasto Lorde spun around, gesturing toward Gulo. "Our dear friend is clearly not impressed with our home. Truly, tragic. Now, Gulo and I shall begin the preparations. Elder?" Leviathon turned toward the androgynous Vasto Lorde.

"I shall follow you, of coursssse," The Elder bowed its head. Leviathon nodded curtly,

"Wonderful. Sonido," Leviathon commanded, his voice ever the more harsh. Karin had a chill from the altering of his voice. "Take our dear dove to the barracks and then join us in the colleseum. Tonight," The Great King raised its bony hand into the night sky, "is our night, brothers."

* * *

Ichigo stared in slight awe at the sight of the hollow before him. _That can't be-_ "Grimmjow?" He asked, though his voice seemed to be confirming more than inquiring.

The panther-like hollow licked his lips quickly as he suddenly met Ichigo's stare with a hungry gaze. "Well, well, It's about time I found you, Ichigo."

"Grimmjow?" Yoruichi muttered, her golden eyes wide in slight confusion, "One of Aizen's Espadas?" Byakuya raised his eyebrow slightly at the word 'Espadas', while Layla looked made of stone.

"Eh? What's this Yoruichi?" Leta grumbled, rubbing the caps of her knees as if they were stiff, her voice still tense from earlier, "You know this hollow?"

"Ichigo," Grimmjow's turquoise eyes were dull embers starting to ignite, "You tell this woman about me?"

"No," Ichigo replied stiffly, his voice slightly agitated, "But you make so much damn noise everywhere you go, it's hard not to hear." His frown twitched ever the slightest into an arrogant grin.

"I see," Grimmjow sneered, taking the bait, "Well I can't say I blame them-"

"Who," A heightened, angry voice interrupted impatiently, "Might you be to butt in on our battle?" It was Virvi Medusa, the Vasto Lorde who was currently battling Ichigo and the others. She stood tall, her sinowy hands on her thinned hips. "What's your name?" She demanded sharply.

"Grimmjow Jeagerjaques," The former Espada instantly replied, "What's it to you?"

Virvi's red glowing eyes narrowed in disgust. Her voice grew tense, "Oh nothing, I just wanted to know the name of the trash I'm about to get rid of after these swine." She motioned to the group surrounding them, who shot back equal looks of distaste at her. Grimmjow smiled wide,

"Oh? I'd say you're fighting a pretty unfair fight there." He glanced over everyone in the room as he said this, his eyes finally settling on her.

"Well I am a Vasto Lorde," Virvi flicked a green dreadlock with a smirk, "I can handle you all easily."

At this point, Grimmjow's smile grew another level of deadly as it turned upward in an even more sinister manner, "What a coincidence then!" He laughed. "I'm a Vasto Lorde too, but you're the only one I need to handle."

Before Virvi could do more than widen her eyes in surprise, Grimmjow had took off toward her, dropping to he ground and sliding across the icy metal floor, his elbow scraping along the ground as leverage to keep him from losing control of his movements. He twisted his arm and his body spun to the right, his other hand going in to swoop and detach Virvi's left leg from her body.

She kicked the edge of her heel on the top of his hand and flipped herself through the air, landing meters away where suddenly Ichigo swung his blade toward her head but she ducked and instead went to kick him in the stomach. Luckily, Yoruchi swooped in, deflected the blow with the side of her hand, and despite the crack that seemed like that of her wrist, she dodged the rest of Virvi's attack with Ichigo secured under her right arm.

The Substitute Shinigami frowned, "Why did you-"

"Your power has not completely been restored," The feline-like woman huffed, her golden eyes trying to hide the shots of pain escalading from her wrist to the rest of her body. "It would be unwise to let that Vasto Lorde near you so easily."

"Eh?" Grimmjow let out a loud objection, his eyes furious, "What did you say, woman?"

"This is unexpected," Virvi's head tilted slightly, a hellish grin creeping from underneath the distorted mask, "And here I argued for you to be used, Shinigami," She gave Ichigo a harsh sneer, "And you're completely worthless. What a pity-

The Vasto Lorde ducked her head in time to dodge a swift swing of Leta Kamaguchi's sword, the 3rd seat's eyes narrowed in fury.

"Don't forget about the rest of us!" Leta griped in an agitated manner, her face in frown, which made her look years older and less child-like.

Ichigo shuffled beside Yoruichi, his brows furrowing, "Just let me fight and don't give me hell, okay?"

"Ichigo," Yoruichi frowned, "You can't be taking this lightly. She's-"

Grimmjow suddenly put himself between Yoruichi and Ichigo. Standing at full height he was eye-level with Yoruichi, the blacks of his eye glaring at her, "I don't know what the hell you're blabbering about, woman," He curved the corners of his mouth slightly, "But if you're worried about Kurosaki getting the shit beat out of him, don't." He glanced to Ichigo with a brutal hunger in his eyes, "I'll make sure that bitch doesn't touch him. I want him in prime condition when I rip his throat apart."

Ichigo wasn't touched by the gesture, "Gee," He replied with heavy sarcasm, "Than-"

"You moron!" Ichigo was suddenly kicked in the head and knocked to the ground as a diminuitive figure took his place next to Yoruichi and Grimmjow, who both looked at her with confused and surprised expressions.

Yoruichi stared, confused, "You're-?"

"Idiot," Grimmjow sneered angrily, "Why are you here? Didn't I send that brat to you?"

"He is outside," Trigger growled, flicking her crimson hair behind her shoulder, "I need that black box I gave you."

"Eh?" Realization hit Grimmjow, "Oh, that." He reached into his pocket grumpily.

"_Oh, that_," Trigger mocked, her face twisted in anger, "Duh, idiot. I should have taken it to begin wi-"

"_Ohooo_," Trigger heard a voice behind her cooing. Virvi Medusa had gripped Leta's leg and tossed her up against the wall, where Layla was helping her to her feet; Byakuya staring with an expressionless face. "Lookie what we have _here!" _Though she was fairly short, she appeared to tower over Trigger, Yoruichi in a defensive stance suddenly and Grimmjow keeping whatever was in his pocket tightly gripped there, watching the new predator intently. "It's been a long time since I've seen you, runt."

Trigger glanced over her shoulder, as if just becoming aware Medusa was behind her, "Oh, you're here? I barely noticed."

Virvi reared back her head in surprise, then scoffed with subtle anger, "It's good to see you're little snot attitude," She lightly gripped the rosy pigtail hanging off her shoulder, "matches your body _oh-so-well_-"

"I would shut that deformed face of yours," Trigger replied coolly, though her lips were tight. "Though I doubt anything I would do could make you look any more disgusting-"

A rush of air blew past Trigger as Grimmjow tackled the Vasto Lorde, throwing Virvi to the ground as her body rolled across the icy metal floor. She coughed in pain as Grimmjow rose to his feet and flung his head toward the hollow-girl.

Trigger tenderly touched her neck felt a warm sensation on her skin. She lowered the hand from her neck and saw a trickle of dark blood. _She was about to decapitate me,_ Trigger realized, simultaneously coming to the conclusion that Grimmjow had saw and tackled Virvi to save her.

"Shut your face, runt! Just what do you think you're here for?" He threw an object from the pocket of the white pants the Elder had gave him before they'd left, and Trigger caught it in her hands. It was the black box.

She hid the half-smile forming on her face and looked at him smugly, "I didn't forget, moron." She glanced at Virvi, who was starting to stir from the floor, "Just don't kick her ass too much while I'm gone," Her face broke into a sinister smile, "I want to finish her off when I get back."

Grimmjow rolled his eyes, "Like you could, you little shit." But the solemnity of his face in that moment told Trigger he'd do as she asked, though he'd never admit to it.

Trigger turned and felt a hand grip her boot, holding her in place. She looked down; Ichigo was rising from the floor, but staring up at her with a grim gaze.

"Karin," He frowned, "Where is she?" Ichigo knew this hollow girl must know something about her, _why else would she have wanted Grimmjow to toss Toshiro outside? _"Are you taking him to her?" The twitch in her stare at him told Ichigo that she knew who he was talking about.

"It's none of your business, Shinigami," Trigger kicked his hand away, her face drained of emotion. Yoruichi was about to block the hollow's exit, but Ichigo interrupted,

"Yoruichi," He glanced at the cat-woman, "No."

The feline femme stared with shock at him, as did Trigger, her eyes narrowing. In a split second, the tiny hollow-girl flashed from sight, leaving a confused Yoruichi to help Ichigo to his feet. "Why?" She asked Ichigo sternly.

"If Karin's in danger," Ichigo wiped his mouth with his forearm, "then this Vasto Lorde here is probably in on it." He glanced at Virvi, who was on her feet and defensively backing a small distance from Grimmjow, acting like a cat playing with a mouse he was about to devour, though his expression was torn between her and Ichigo. "If we want to keep her safe, the first thing we should do is keep her from leaving this building."

Yoruichi stared at him for a moment in silence, then tilted her head with a small mischievious smile, "You're putting a lot of faith in Captain Hitsugaya, Ichigo."

"Nah," Ichigo frowned, "I'm not worried. Toshiro would give his life to protect someone...and I...it doesn't matter. What _does _matter," He turned to face Medusa, "is that we destroy you." He pointed his sword at the Vasto Lorde, who gave a mocking laugh.

"Oh, terrifying," She scoffed sarcastically. "Sorry to tell you this, pretty boy," She started to crouch in an attack pose, glancing from Grimmjow to Ichigo, "But that little sister of yours is already as good as dead."

* * *

The sounds of their feet echoed along the empty dirt floor of the hallway, as Sonido and Karin slowly walked side by side alone in the silence. Occassionally, Karin looked back to make sure that no one was following them. After a few minutes of walking, she was certain they were by themselves, and slowly turned to glance timidly up at the silent Vasto Lorde.

"So you left to meet with them, huh?" She asked finally, a soft voice that wouldn't echo through the halls.

Sonido did not answer at first. "It matters not now, does it?" He said solemnly.

Karin frowned, letting out a soft groan. She swung her head towards him angrily, "You know, since I'm about to die and all, you could at least tell me why you're doing this." She whispered intensely, trying not to raise her voice.

The Vasto Lorde seemed mildly confused, "You want to know about our history?"

She was taken aback a little by his genteel reaction. "A little backstory wouldn't hurt," and Karin realized that no Shinigami had probably ever wanted to talk about this sort of thing.

Sonido seemed to be contemplating what to say and what not to say. After a moment he started speaking softly, which was muffled even more by the fact that his mask covered his mouth, so Karin had to crane her neck closer to him to hear.

"There was once many of our kind, the Vasto Lordes. We were advanced hollow that retained our humanity and intelligence after becoming hollow. Some lesser evolved hollow could ascend to our state through a slow process, but we were always this way, cloaked in hatred, cloaked in fear, in isolation...our instincts allowed to run wild."

_The opposite of Shinigami, _Karin thought to herself, but listened as he continued.

"Our world was divided into four monarchies, for the four corners of our land, and these rulers had divine presence over all hollows, including the Vasto Lordes who lived in their regions. Eventually though, the battles and struggles for dominance forced several rulers, unable to keep with the constant pressure of confrontation, into hiding." Sonido scratched the back of his head nonchalantly, "In fact, only one ruler maintained control until the Shinigami Sosuke Aizen arrived here, Lord Barragan Luisenbarn."

"Is he...related to Leviathon?" Karin asked suddenly, realizing the two last names were the same.

Sonido nodded, "Leviathon was created through an ancient ceremonial procedure-"

"The same way as Grimmjow," Karin finished his sentence, staring off distantly, piecing the information together.

Sonido stared at her for a moment without expression. "...So the two succeeded in resurrecting him as a Vasto Lorde." He finally observed.

"Yes," Karin spun her head toward Sonido, her eyes dancing past his elbows, heavy scar tissue wrapping the corners of his skin. "Your elbows-"

"-Should not be mentioned again by you," Sonido cut her off, his voice suddenly tense. "Listen to me," His voice was growing quicker, "Leviathon claims to be our 'Great King', but to extend his rule he needs to control the four corners of Hueco Mundo. Currently, the Queen of the North is on his side, though only as a nuetral assistant. He believes the Elder is on his side, but the Western Queen..." Sonido glanced immediately at Karin, who flinched from the sudden action, "You must trust me in this matter. Whatever I say..." He seemed to be struggling to find the words to tell her, "You must remain silent. You must trust me."

She stared at him for the first time without a mask of pretense, without trying to block any emotion. He seemed to be doing the same, and the two seemed naked of each other's existence other than understanding what each was telling the other. "I-"

They were now in front of a large door, which Karin distantly noted must be to the so-called 'barracks'.

"Your life hinges on your trust in myself, the Elder, and Trigger." Sonido said solemnly. "If you have faith in your brother..." He could not finish the sentence, and instead looked slowly ahead as the door started to open, "Trust me, Karin." Was all he said before leading her into the darkness in front of the door.

Karin had a million thoughts running through her head, though one came to the forefront of her mind more than any of the others.

_That was the first time he called me 'Karin'._

* * *

"HEEEYAH!" Leta gripped both hands on her sword and swung hard as Virvi ducked from a swipe of Ichigo's long blade. The 3rd seat's sword grazed a sliver of the Vasto Lorde's arm as she skipped away from the two, her other hand grasping the spot immediately to halt the thin river of blood dripping down her grafted skin; letting out a low-angry growl at Leta and Ichigo.

The two Shinigami glanced at each other, "You're not too shabby, Ichigo." Leta let a small smile spread across her round face.

"That's my line," Ichigo smirked.

Grimmjow was behind them, "This broad is ridiculous," He glared at Virvi, "And you two keep getting in my way!"

"Oh, quit whining!" Leta yelled.

"What was that?" Grimmjow lunged forward, but Ichigo gripped his arm, "Is this little bitch trying to tell me what to-"

"Leta," Yoruichi cut him off, walking up beside her. "We need to strategize more," she glanced at Grimmjow for an instant, "And agitate each other less. I think the problem her is we have too many against one foe. We're blocking our own attacks and it's being less than productive."

"Agreed," Leta nodded, "But what are we supposed to do? We can't let her escape here. We have to buy Toshiro time to get to Hueco Mundo, however he's going to do it." Leta looked up with confusion, "Actually," She looked to Grimmjow, "What was that black box you gave her? Was it important?"

Grimmjow stared at her with a bored expression, "How the hell should I know?"

_Figures, _Leta huffed.

"Wait," A lightbulb seemed to flash above Yoruichi's head. "Grimmjow, Ichigo," She turned to them both. "Can you distract our dear guest for a moment?" She raised her hand to gesture to Virvi Medusa, who had licked her wounds and was rushing toward them angrily, "I have to discuss matters with Leta."

Ichigo growled angrily, "What do you mean you-"

"HAAAH!" Grimmjow lunged and met Virvi in midair, the two lashing out with clawed hands at each other and fighting hand-to-hand in midair, due to their lack of swords.

Ichigo was keenly aware he was missing out on the fight. "Fine, whatever!" he called impatiently, "Just...hurry up with whatever you're planning, will you?" And he took off to join Grimmjow.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Layla and Byakuya had moved to join Yoruichi and Leta. "You were just advocating for Ichigo's safety, Yoruichi," Layla sighed disapprovingly.

"That other Vasto Lorde won't let Ichigo get hurt," Yoruichi smiled in disbelief of her own words, "I think he actually wants to fight Ichigo more than she does-"

"Enough chatter," Byakuya interrupted, clearly displeased that he had to listen to both Leta and Yoruichi, his arms folded at his chest. "What is your grand scheme, Shihoin?"

The cat-woman smiled broadly, "Glad you asked, Byakuya." She grinned. "Clearly this place is stifling our abilities, and I think in the best interests of the Soul Society, we need to bring out the big guns to stop this Vasto Lorde."

Leta glanced nervously at Yoruichi, "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying," She continued, "That I want Layla to inform the Kido Corps members to abandon the complex. In fact, abandon the entire grounds and anywhere within a five mile radius."

Layla's eyes narrowed in uncertainty, "What are you-"

"Have the Kido Corps members set a barrier five layers deep. All of them together should be able to pull this off. Then, Byakuya," Yoruichi nodded to him, "You can use your bankai to secure the sky above so that our Vasto Lorde friend doesn't get too many ideas about escaping directly into the air. Your bankai can cover that much ground, right?" She narrowed her eyes playfully, "Or am I wrong?"

Byakuya stiffened noticeably, as Layla objected, "I do not approve of where your plans seem to be directing towards! It sounds as if you are going to destroy the Kido Corps headquarters!"

"Byakuya?" Yoruichi asked again, ignoring Layla.

The eldest Kamaguchi stared at her fiance incredulously, "You cannot seriously be considering-"

"Against my better judgment," Byakuya opened his eyes, glaring at Yoruichi, "I cannot allow this Vasto Lorde to leave here and cause further injury to one of my own squad members." He remained silent for a moment, as if mentally finalizing his decision, "I will create this additional barrier using my bankai as you suggest, Shihoin."

"Are you all out of your minds?" Layla stomped her foot, "And just what, Yoruichi, are you going to do once these barriers are created?"

"I'm going to be doing the same as Ichigo and the other Vasto Lorde and attempt to rid ourselves of this threat to the Soul Society." She said simply, her hands in a gesture of innocent behind her back.

"Then why do we need the barriers?" Layla hissed through her teeth impatiently.

"They're for you," Yoruichi said simply, turning to look down at the mortified Shinigami looking up at her in disbelief, "Or were you going to avoid releasing your Shikai altogether, Leta?"

* * *

"That took you an obnoxiously long amount of time," Toshiro grimly stated as Trigger flashed beside him, the black box gripped tightly in her right hand. "I was about to come in and see if you all were having a tea party or something ridiculous like that-"

"Shut your face," Trigger snapped, "It was hard enough to get this for you, you know."

"And just what," Toshiro came closer to her, "_is_ that?"

"It's called negacion," Trigger said slowly, glancing over the box, "It's inside this container."

"What does it do?"

"Aizen created them originally for Espada to send their subordinates into other dimensions for extended periods of time as punishment. But some of them were designed to lead to specific places withing Hueco Mundo. One of the Vasto Lordes found a few of them leftover after Aizen's leave of Hueco Mundo and has been altering their design to change their destinations." She glanced from the box to Toshiro, "This one leads us right outside the Colliseum."

Toshiro's eyes widened slightly, "What's the Colliseum?"

Trigger stared at him as a slow, dark smile creeped across her face. The black box flicked open with a snap. "You're about to find out."

* * *

_**And yes! That's where I'm leaving off for the moment. I know, I know, not a whole lot of development, but I'm hoping as this semester comes to an end, I can write more. Eh...hopefully!**_

_**I just hope you stay as supportive of the story as you all have been! Words can't describe how appreciative I am! Thank you all! And I look forward to your comments on the story and suggestions!**_

_**Peace,**_

_**Romania Black**_


	55. Truth before Death

Ah, well, I'm working to get chapters coming out at a steady pace again. With classes coming to an end this semester, I think this will be easier too, so hoorah!

Anyway, I told myself I'd have this chapter out by today, and I've done it! The end is slightly cut off from what I wanted, but that just means it'll pick right back up next chapter.

Thank you again, SO MUCH, for all the great support I'm getting with this story! A special thanks to **Dylan Hooper** (Loyal fan? ^^ I'm so happy to have an actual "fan"! And YES, poor Ichigo. Grimmjow's not going to let him get away easy, eh? And Yessss, I cannot WAIT to show you all her Shikai! I've been wanting to show it off for about 25 chapters now!), **Taeniaea **(Thank you! Hope you think the same about this chapter!), **Toshiko74, kazza-spexy, Codry **(Ahh, that would have been really cool if Sonido was Ichigo's brother! haha, I wish I'd thought of that ^^. I will say that I wanted Sonido to only seem more threatening than he actually is, but the Elder...yeah, every time I write something on him it's creepy. And I like it. haha! I hope you like where the story takes you though!), **IcePrincess1218 **(Wow! I'm so flattered by your comment! Thank you! I can't wait for Toshiro to get to Karin either, haha! I hope this update was soon enough for you! ^^), **sendicard **(haha! I love reading funny comments like yours! And yes, I'm a sucker for a good cliffhanger. :P ),** HitsuKarin Lurver** (Hmm...maybe I should rename this story "Karin Kurosaki: A series of cliffhangers!" haha! But Thank YOU for being patient with me! haha, I hope you like this chapter!), **Turtle-chan in Blue **(Alright. You got me. Leta and Yoruichi are just out to wreck the place. I can no longer hide this lie. ^^ I admit it.).

Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it!

Romania Black

**Chapter Fifty-Five**

**To tell you my name  
Rip out your vocal chords first  
Never to speak it**

**To give you my heart  
Scald the skin off your palms first  
Never to hold it**

"Madame Yoruichi Shihoin!" Layla's voice uttered in terror, her grey eyes widening. _How does she know about my sister? Did Leta tell her? They are close- _She thought in anxious horror, her hand running toward her trembling lips, "What are you saying?"

"Yes," Byakuya added with calm curiosity, his eyes tracing from Layla to Yoruichi slowly, "what indeed."

"Yoruichi, I-" Leta, her eyes concerned, started to interrupt, but Layla was beside herself with panic and cut in,

"I beseech of you! Leave my sister out of this!" She pleaded.

"If our best interests are in protecting the Soul Society, then preventing this Vasto Lorde from escaping here alive seems to be the most important task we have to complete. And," Her voice tightened angrily, "since you and Byakuya refuse to join in this battle out of so-called nobility's sake, I have no choice but to take extreme measures."

"But how do you know Leta is-" Layla burst out, then silenced herself, noticing Byakuya's keen stare at her, as if waiting for her to finish the sentence. She calmed her voice and looked begrudgingly at Yoruichi, "How do you think that Leta is going to help us anymore than she already has?"

"I may not ever use my own zanpakuto," Yoruichi smirked, "but I'm no fool. Leta is a Shinigami Academy Instructor in hand-to-hand combat, with a small side job of teaching new Shinigami zanpakuto training techniques," Her smirk deepened, "So obviously she has a Shikai of her own."

"That is beside the point!" Layla objected loudly. "How do you know that Leta's zanpakuto would need these so-called barriers you're discussing?"

"Because I told her it would," Leta suddenly voiced her opinion above the chatter, her voice silencing the three towering over her.

There was a punch of silence, as if Layla had been struck; then she softly addressed her sister, "Leta...you-"

"I told Yoruichi about this a long time ago, thinking she could help me learn what I am...why my existence as a Shinigami has always seemed the way it is. She understood-"

"So did I," Layla added sadly, her grey eyes drooping from the weight of what was about to be said amongst them all. "But if the Council knew-"

"Which is why this situation is perfect," Yoruichi interrupted. "With the three of us here and Ichigo, and the Vasto Lordes, the situation is almost self-explained. No harm, no foul."

"Forgive me for interrupting," Byakuya addressed the group in the dryest of sarcasm, "But what are we currently discussing? Why does Leta Kamaguchi need all of these barriers present to release her Shikai?"

"It's technically not mine," Leta sighed, running a hand through a wad of her messy strawberry blonde hair, "It's my father's zanpakuto." Her eyes narrowed slightly, saying the next sentence as if it were for the first time, "I'm a metempyschis."

* * *

The black box flipped open and Toshiro stared as a small onyx diamond-shaped chip floated from within the box. "Interesting, no?" She smirked darkly at Toshiro.

Toshiro stared skeptically at it. "And this..._thing_...is going to take us to the Colliseum where Karin is being held captive?"

"Ideally," Trigger replied in a boring voice, but smiling mischieviously, "But who really knows for certain-"

"Quit playing games!" The captain yelled angrily, grabbing the collar of her white dress and flashing his teal eyes at her. The hollow-girl rolled her rose eye in return.

"Be a snood," She hissed, "But I'm telling you this because there's a possibility that this negacion will take us to a spot _inside _the colliseum instead of outside it." She visibly saw him flinch at her words, "Ahh, see, now you get it. That's why you need to keep these sort of situations in mind; they may happen." She gripped his hand in hers. "Now, let's be nice and hold hands like a sweet little couple-"

"I swear I will break you," Toshiro growled under his voice, but gripped her hand, "If you don't just get on with this-"

"Quit being a baby," She pouted, her lips puckering playfully, "And hold on." Suspended in midair, Trigger tapped the chip as a small child would a speck of something new and harmless.

The ground immediately seemed to fall out from under Toshiro. His stomach gave a quick lurch as he felt his body be wrapped in a cluster of black ribbons, a feeling of dread cold surging across his body. He closed his eyes for a brief second to try and control the urge he had to throw up any contents in his stomach, before he felt a quick rush of air against his face. It wasn't hot or cold, but cool, as neutral as any breeze could be. His feet felt the touch of ground and he opened his eyes.

It was dark, and they were standing on white dead sand; the white blinding moon the only light above them.

They were back in Hueco Mundo.

"We're," Toshiro blinked, gaining his bearings still, "close, aren't we?"

He turned and bumped into the hollow-girl, who was no longer holding his hand but standing tense and staring straight ahead of him. Her eyes were filled with an odd cocktail of emotions: horror, anxiety, fury, and a calmness that was controlling all of these feelings all around her body save her red rose eye. Toshiro felt a chill sink down his arms. He wasn't sure what had brought on this wave of emotion in the hollow-girl, but the possible reasons did not sit well with him.

"I'm sorry," She finally replied quietly, in a voice far from childish. "It's been a long time since I've been this, as you say, _close_ to the colliseum."

Toshiro, not sure how to respond to her statement, merely nodded curtly.

"We should move quickly, but take caution," Trigger finally sighed and stated hastily, "My comrade didn't tell me what they were doing exactly with the Shinigami girl," Her eyes glanced away from Toshiro, "But if she's here, they're probably going to attempt the ceremony."

"Ceremony?" Toshiro's head shot up immediately, "What ceremony? Are they going to create another Vasto Lorde like the one that came with you?"

"Perhaps," but her voice sounded like this would have been a greater alternative than what was in her mind at the moment. "I was thinking of a different ceremony though."

_Just how many ceremonies do these Vasto Lordes have? _"Such as?" Toshiro growled.

"Let's go," Trigger started walking ahead without answering him, looking ahead, "If we get there soon enough, there will be no need to explain."

Toshiro begrudgingly followed her, but felt no more reassured by her words. _What are they planning on doing with you, Karin? _He thought to himself with a frown.

* * *

The Vasto Lordes' Great King Leviathon glanced around the colliseum, the area bathed in pitch blackness save the patch of moonlight in the center that seemed to glow almost ethereally. The would-be Great King of Hueco Mundo scratched his bony head with his skeletal fingers and glanced toward his left, where Sonido had come beside him.

"Is our Shinigami friend secured below?" Leviathon inquired calmly.

"As you commanded," Sonido nodded his head curtly in reply.

"Very good, brother," Leviathon Luisenbarn rose to full height, stretching his body lazily, "I'd hate for her to get cold feet and think about escaping." The fat hollow Gulo, slobered behind them as it listened to their conversations but made no point to join in the discussion, gazing around hungrily. "Gulo," Leviathon turned about lazily to face the oversized Vasto Lorde, "Is Elsa and the Elder in place and ready?"

"Yes 'ir," Gulo replied heavily, "They's in place."

"Excellent," The tall Vasto Lorde clapped his hands together, turning to the other Vasto Lorde. "Brother Sonido, keep an eye on our prisoner. Once sister Medusa returns to us, we will be ready to begin."

* * *

"ARRGH!" Ichigo swung his sword violently toward the Vasto Lorde Virvi Medusa, who ducked and missed the swing but was instead sent flying toward one of the walls by the clawed hand of the newly-resurrected Vasto Lorde Grimmjow Jaguerjaques. He growled and pounced toward the Vasto Lorde, who jumped out of the way as Ichigo rushed to assist Grimmjow.

Byakuya's head twitched as his stare was directed to Leta, "There is that term again; 'metempyschis'. I ask you, Leta Kamaguchi, what does it mean?"

"Allow me to explain," Layla sighed, raising a hand to wave at Byakuya, drawing his attention. Leta and Yoruichi stared as well. "A metempsychis is a term meaning '_soul migration'_, and it is just that; a rare occurrance when a single being is formed from the entirety of two individual souls. The offspring, so to speak, gains the abilities and many characteristics of the souls who created it. Leta is one of these rare beings."

Byakuya was quickly wrapping this information around his mind; he glanced hesitantly at Leta, "So that zanpakuto you are weilding-"

"-is my father's." Leta said with a slight wavering in her voice.

Byakuya stared at her hard, his mind mulling over a thought, which he finally vocalized, "Can you weild his sword?"

Layla turned her head to her younger sister; she'd never asked such a question, nor contemplated its answer. Her brow furrowed in silence.

Leta's expression was clear; she didn't want to answer. Finally, "Yes. I can."

"Sister," Layla did not approve of the hesitance in her voice, "If you can't, that's fi-"

"I've had 200 years to practice," Leta objected, her hazel eyes narrowing, making her look older, " I think I'm able to weild it by now."

Layla's expression turned from concern to worry, "But if you-"

"Let's discuss this later," Yoruichi cut in, her voice tensing as she watched Ichigo be flung against the wall by the Vasto Lorde, who had also kicked Grimmjow hard in the stomach and then smashed his head with her other leg, sending him flying in a different direction. "I think we've lost any time we've had saved up."

"Saved up?" The Vasto Lorde licked the upper lip of her mask greedily, "Please, as if you had any extra time to begin with." She started to crouch low, "Now, who's next?"

Stiffening her shoulders, Leta took a step forward. Layla reached out a hand to grab her but Leta shoved it away, glancing back at her with a frown.

"Byakuya," the 6th Division Captain glanced her direction, "Secure the sky. Layla," Her hazel eyes met the gray of her sister's, "Inform everyone in the Kido Corps to evacuate the premesis."

Layla closed her eyes, realizing her sister's decision to enter the fray was her own, and flash-stepped away. Byakuya nodded curtly, glanced at Yoruichi for a split second, almost as if to say _watch over her_, and followed suit. The feline woman tensed herself as she looked back to the Vasto Lorde, who seemed slightly confused.

"_You're_ going to fight me?" She raised her head suspiciously, "_Seriously_?"

"Very," Leta replied bluntly.

"I have no qualms," The Vasto Lorde shrugged her shoulders, the vine-line dreadlocks cascading across them, "But that other woman," She leapt and was inches from Yoruichi's face, "She has to go first," And she sent her fist flying low, attempting to catch Yoruichi in the stomach. The cat woman sidestepped and raised her leg high, kicking the Vasto Lorde in the back and knocking them to the ground. The hollow rolled away quickly before another move could be planted.

"Sorry," Yoruichi grinned, her golden eyes gleaming, "But I don't intend on going anywhere anytime soon."

"Yoruichi," Leta began, looking at her friend with a face full of disapproval, "Maybe you should-"

"Ever since I've met you," Yoruichi turned and looked down at Leta, "I have told you I would help you if you needed it. I don't intend on abandoning you now." Her face broke inot a large grin, "Plus, we're greedy, self-absorbed, priveledged Nobles. People like us are easily hated, so really we're all each other has."

* * *

The dampness of the dungeon cellar was more chilling than it had been in the Elder's home, and Karin Kurosaki rubbed her arms fiercely to try and generate heat from the friction. It wasn't seeming to work, as the cold breath rose high from her mouth as she breathed. _Am I going to be used by Leviathon and the other Vasto Lordes to create another like Grimmjow? _She thought frantically. She wasn't so fond of this concept, since she doubted these Vasto Lordes carried supplies of healing vomit like the Elder had. She looked around the cramped cell, its walls infested with damp dark green moss that when she raked her hand across it crumbled like sand. Like the white dead sand of Hueco Mundo to the stone ground.

"It's not meant to be hospitable."

Shivers fled down Karin's spine as she spun to see Sonido descending down the stairwell into the cellar, his white mask barely visible in the darkness of the space.

"Funny how we seem to be meeting each other in these settings," Karin offered with a raised eyebrow, her face strained as if to avoid smiling.

"Did I frighten you?" Sonido seemed to be taking delight in having startled her, much to Karin's disapproval. "I must say though," He glanced up and around the cellar, "The cellar's appearance benefits from you being here-"

"-Cut the bull," Karin frowned, cutting him off. "Why was I brought here? What's going on?"

Sonido faced Karin from the other side of the cellar; she stared at him through the cellar bars she was trapped inside, his face etched in silence. He finally sighed and crossed his arms at his chest.

"Do you want the truth?" He asked bluntly.

Karin blinked, slightly taken aback. She fought the urge to yell as she stated in a strained voice, "I would assume that's what I wanted from the start."

Sonido scratched his skull-like mask nonchalantly, "Some would prefer lies if it meant they were safer," he said simply as a chill rose up Karin's arms, "But I assumed you weren't one of those individuals." He let a small pause rise between them before continuing. "The Vasto Lordes' are troubled by the presence of your brother. Others of our kind have bore witness to the power he has displayed, myself included." He stared at Karin, "Frankly, it's a troubling level of ability similar to ours."

"I know this," Karin grumbled, staring back at him, "What's the point of me being here then, and not him."

"We were made aware that in his duel against Aizen, he was stripped of his Shinigami powers. Since he lost his powers," Sonido continued, "He is no longer a threat to us, nor do we suspect he will be should he somehow gain them back. But," He stopped and there was a pause. "You asked me before why I am called Sonido and my comrade is called Trigger, no?"

"I remember," Karin answered quietly, her voice lowering to listen.

"Leviathon has been stagin a takeover of Hueco Mundo for some time now. He has gathered other Vasto Lordes who support him, and has gained nuetral alliance with one of the other four rulers already."

Karin didn't ask if he meant The Elder, but continued to listen silently, her face a permanent frown attempting to comprehend.

"All of this started after Leviathon took over his...for lack of better word, _father's_, position as King." Sonido continued quietly. "However, one of the three other rulers did not agree with this transition of power," He scratched his chin, "And attempted to disarm him."

Karin stared at him, "Was that ruler...you?"

"No," He replied, "The ruler was my master, Queen Rosmerta Unoumbria."

Karin sat in the silence and absorbed this information, until suddenly a lightbulb flashed on and she ran to the bars of the cellar, gripping them and staring at Sonido with wide eyes.

"_Trigger_?"

Sonido was almost smiling beneath his mask, amused, "You sound so shocked."

"Of course I am!" Karin burst out, "How could she be-"

"We were overpowered," Sonido stated with a raspy, exasperated breath, "Too many of our own kind against us. The Elder, out of respect for our struggle, decided to have pity on our efforts for survival and placed a seal on the Queen's reitsu to spare her from dying. The drawback was that it deformed her body into that which you see now."

_So she only looks like a child because of some sort of seal, _Karin thought, the gears of her mind rotating wildly.

"I was spared as well, both of us stripped of our names and given false titles; an act to shame us into submission. We vanished into the desert, in order to protect my Queen."

"So why come out of hiding?" Karin spoke out, "Why now?"

Sonido turned from Karin to face the wall, his back to her. "The seal on my Queen is limited. You've seen how her mask is broken, correct?"

"Yes," Karin answered simply.

"That broken mask keeps the seal in effect. Were it to be healed, the seal would be broken and she would be free to revert to her previous form." Sonido stretched his head around to glance at her, "One of your brother's comrades has this ability, no?"

Karin stared at him before it dawned on her. "Wha-Orihime?"

"Yes, her," Sonido nodded, "The Vasto Lordes saw her ability on the monitors of Aizen's security system."

"But Orihime would never return here," Karin shook her head as she said this, "She has no reason-"

"Does she not?" Sonido turned and gave Karin a harsh stare, "She healed multiple hollows who returned here. Your brother has been coming here to train for months with the Arrancar Neliel Tu Oderschvank. Then, the Vasto Lordes discovered this Arrancar went with your brother to the World of the Living and was healed by this woman, her power restored."

Karin looked blankly back at him, her eyes saucers. "You mean-"

"Leviathon fears Queen Unoumbria will regain power if your comrade is led to her. There is a way though," He turned and paced to the side of the cellar, "to keep the seal from being broken, but it requires a particular ceremonial tribute."

Karin was mid-way through realizing that the reason Grimmjow was made a Vasto Lorde was to assist Sonido and Trigger in stopping Leviathon when she spun her head toward him, her mind clearing of its fog. "Wait. Ceremonial tribute? What did you just say?"

Sonido sighed, staring at her gravely, "Your brother was never what the Vasto Lordes wanted, because he's not a threat to Leviathon." He was now towering over Karin. "You wanted to know the truth, did you not? Here is your truth: To take command of the Vasto Lordes and Hueco Mundo; to essentially pose a threat of taking over the Soul Society as well...Leviathon needs to permanently seal my Queen in her current state."

"And he needs me to complete this weird ceremonial tribute thing?" Karin cocked her head sideways, confused.

"Yes," Sonido finally replied, nodding.

"Then why tell me all of this now?" Karin shook the bars, agitated. "Why wait until I'm at the colliseum to tell me the truth of everything?"

A voice suddenly called from above, "Brother," It was the Vasto Lorde Gulo. "Yer needed for a moment."

Sonido turned away from her, walking toward the cellar entrance. He didn't answer her.

"Answer me!" Karin called out to him, her grip on the bars tightening, "Why are you telling me this now?"

The Vasto Lorde slowly pivoted his head toward her, craning his neck so she could see his cold stare.

"It's only fair that you know the truth before you die."


	56. Migrating Souls: Toward Oblivion

Hello everyone!

Well, this semester of school is finally over! Hoorah! Which means I'll probably have more time to write on this fic! Anyway, this chapter is a little shorter than usual, but gets done what I want to, so I didn't feel like dragging it out.

The message on my "special thanks" is pretty universal: Thank you so much! I hope you like this chapter! I'm pretty excited to hear reactions for Leta's shikai and on the end of this chapter. ^^

Special thanks to **A5L, sendicard** (haha! Well, I guess the explosions are going to start this chapter, eh? To answer your question, though it'll be answered next chapter too, Trigger cannot create a garganta herself, so finding Orihime would mean others would have to assist her...that's all I can say for now, but I hope that helps!), **Dylan Hooper** (I'm so excited for you to see this chapter and the next! I'm really happy you like where the story's going! ^^), **Every shadow has its twin** (Thank you! I hope you like this chapter!), **Anylor-ak, codry** (Thank you! I hope you like this chapter too!), **HitsuKarin Lurver** (Thank you! I hope you like this chapter as well! haha), **metsfan101** (Thanks! 5/5? I'm so flattered! ^^), **HokkaidoMaster **(Thank you! I really am excited to hear feedback for Leta's shikai! I hope you like it!).

Hope you like the chapter!

Romania Black

**Chapter Fifty-Six**

**Slate of my soul bared  
Entrails of a dormant sigh  
Situated Hearts  
Awaiting the final start**

"Sonido!" Karin called after him, her hands gripped firmly on the bars of her cell. "Answer me!" She yelled louder, hoping to make him turn back towards her, and explain why all of this was happening, why he was telling her this now.

Sonido was already gone from the dungeon, though, leaving Karin alone for what seemed like the thousandth time in the few short days she'd been here.

_Or it seems like days anyway, _Karin thought to herself, falling back from the bars and landing against the damp walls of the cell. She drew her bare arms closer around herself, sinking toward the floor in a densely rising despair. _It's hopeless_, she closed her eyes, lost in her own thoughts, _Yakyuu is nowhere in sight, Sonido has abandoned helping me, and Ichigo and Toshiro are in the Soul Society doing who knows what...what if...what if I'm going to die here?_

And for the first time since she'd became a Shinigami, Karin truly felt powerless. Still, she didn't cry, but buried her head in her knees as she sat on the dungeon floor, contemplating what to do next.

Meanwhile, along the dungeon corridor, Sonido's footsteps were tapping dully across the stone; his white mask expressionless. Gulo slobbered loudly as he looked behind his shoulder to cast Sonido a glare,

"This 'un wanted ta speak with you before 'end," He gulped out, his tongue flailing saliva across the corridor. The Vasto Lordes moved aside as the Elder slithered down the stone floor toward Sonido.

"Thank you," The Elder smiled through its helmet-like mask down at Gulo, who flinched and started to slowly back away in what seemed like fear, "If you will, I'd like to ssssspeak with Sssonido for a brief moment. I believe the Great King wisssshed to sssssee you in the meantime."

"'Course," Gulo wasted no time putting distance between himself and the Elder, "I'll see what 'e wants." And he tromped away quickly.

The Elder slowly rotated and gave Sonido a hard stare, "Everything seemssss to be accordingly?"

Sonido didn't answer at first, as if testing to make sure Gulo was out of range of hearing him. Finally, he murmured, "Yes."

"I gave her the one half," The Elder noted cryptically, its lone eye tracing Sonido's with a mixture of frustration and curiosity that was almost unbecoming of the fiend, "I asssssume you have the other?"

"Yes," Sonido murmured without hesitance and slipped past the Elder, walking toward the stairs that led back into the Colliseum. The Elder stared at him as he moved, as if contemplating Sonido's very footsteps. With only a moment's pause, the Vasto Lorde called out to Sonido,

"You seem like you have decided your fate already."

This stopped the other Vasto Lorde, Sonido freezing in his tracks. The Elder let out an amusing sigh,

"Ahh, I ssssee I'm right." The Vasto Lorde snickered, "Ssssso you _have _decided, then?"

Sonido did not turn around, but merely looked forward emotionlessly, before taking a full step forward into the moonlit colliseum.

"Yes."

* * *

"Ooh," Virvi Medusa licked the corner of her mouth and her scantily-constructed mask barely hid the smug smile forming on her face, "how cute. So be it, I have no qualms with fighting two of you-"

Her gaze at Yoruichi Shihoin and Leta Kamaguchi was disrupted by the swift kick of the newly ressurected Vasto Lorde Grimmjow Jaegerjaques toward her head, to which she swiftly ducked.

Grimmjow slid across the floor, his paws' white nails scraping the floor loudly. He shot Virvi a murderous flash of a stare. "Hold still so I can kill ya!"

Yoruichi shot Ichigo a incredulous stare as he landed beside her and Leta, "Is that Espada always this ridiculous, even toward his enemies?"

"You have no idea," Ichigo sighed, rolling his eyes, "We're lucky he's on our side so far, though."

"Listen," Virvi threw her dreadlocks behind her shoulder, spitting on the ground in Grimmjow's direction, "I'd love to sit here and babysit you four, but I have places to be, so I'll be on my way." She glanced over at Grimmjow, "Honestly, I have no idea why you're assisting a Shinigami," She held her pinky finger to her mouth seductively, "but I'll make sure when they send your sorry rear end back to Hueco Mundo that you're delt with appropriately."

"Miss Yoruichi," Ichigo glanced at the feline femme, "Did you two come up with any sort of plan on dealing with this Vasto Lorde while Grimmjow and I were fighting...," he paused and glanced back at Virvi, "...it?"

The Vasto Lorde hissed, "You whiny piss ant-"

"As a matter of fact," Leta moved past Yoruichi and Ichigo, towards the Vasto Lorde, "We did."

Grimmjow glanced over at Ichigo, leering at him and Yoruichi, "This'd better be good."

Yoruichi glanced hurriedly at both Grimmjow and Ichigo, her eyes tensing nervously, "Hold your ground, both of you."

Virvi smiled broadly, "I'm so moved by the noble innocence of your threat," Her eyes burning as she glanced over Leta's petite frame, "but an innocent threat is all you are. I'd much rather have fought...who was that?" She tapped a finger to her chin, "Your sister, was it?"

Leta flinched slightly at the word 'sister', "Shut your face, hollow!"

"Oh, did I strike a nerve?" Virvi giggled maliciously, "Perhaps I shouldn't have taken control of and consumed that Vice-Captain's body, and instead went for her or your brother-what was his name? I think it was Lyall-"

"Silence," Leta lowered her head, her blonde hair icy against the chilled darkness of the practically destroyed Kido Corps main room.

"Oh?" Virvi tilted her head to the side, smiling wryly, "Did I say something to upset you?"

"Not at all," Leta said simply. She drew her sword out of its golden sheathe and gripped it tightly with both hands. She slowly lifted her head up and stared at the Vasto Lorde with her large hazel eyes slightly narrowed.

"Brace yourselves," Yoruichi murmured, looking quickly between Ichigo and Grimmjow. The two stared at Yoruichi, then at each other in slight confusion.

Leta grimaced, her knuckles white as she held the sword tightly, her voice murmuring the words as if they were a long-lost friend,

"Spit upon the debris of their bones, Ibuki no Kemono!"

The silver sword, from the hilt down, erupted into a blast of wind that shot at Virvi, nailing her in the chest and sending her flying through the wall of the main room and into the frosted grass outside.

Leta was maintaining the hold on her sword's handle, the blade a long whirling band of wind like a tornado into the sky above, the air growing blacker and denser around her and her zanpakuto.

Ichigo and Grimmjow were as surprised by the attack as Virvi Medusa had been. Yoruichi looked more concerned than anything.

"Woah," Ichigo turned to the cat woman, "That's Leta's zanpakuto?"

Yoruichi thought it better to go along with the question than to bring Ichigo up to speed on the entire 'metempsychis' term, "Yes," She replied simply, nodding.

"It seems...a bit unnatural for her," Grimmjow noted, his teal eyes locked on Leta.

"What do you mean?" Ichigo glanced his way.

"It's unnaturally powerful for someone of her spiritual pressure," Grimmjow's eyes narrowed, staring at Yoruichi, "How is this possible?"

Yoruichi sighed, closing her eyes, "It's hard to explain. For now though," She opened her eyes, looking slightly disheartened, "We have more pressing matters."

"Such as?" Ichigo raised his eyebrows, "If her zanpakuto was strong enough to knock that Vasto Lorde back," He focused on Leta and his eyes slightly widened, "And had that much spiritual pressure behind it...what's pressing?"

"A great many things," Yoruichi frowned. "Look."

She motioned toward Leta, who was rushing toward Virvi Medusa, who was just getting to her feet. Leta swung her zanpakuto toward Virvi, attempting to knock her back to the ground like before. Virvi, still slightly scattered, but well within her wits, used sonido to quickly move out of range, causing Leta's sword to instead sweep up several trees that were in the way. The bark was stripped from the trunks, and leaves were scattered like confetti in torn pieces around them. The wind of Leta's zanpakuto howled as it ripped through a patch of trees. Virvi had flashed to Leta's side, attempting to strike at her while she was swinging her sword, but Grimmjow had seen the planned attack and tackled the Vasto Lorde instead, throwing her back.

"Oh," Ichigo frowned, Yoruichi's intentions dawning before him, "Her zankaputo-"

"Is limited in as many ways as it is powerful," She nodded. "It is one of the strongest wind-type zanpakutos there is, but it's difficult to manage," her eyes caught a glimpse of Leta's hand shaking as it held the sword, "and meant for long-range assaults."

"Which is why the Vasto Lorde isn't trying to escape right now," Ichigo nodded, seeming to be following along fine, "It'd put her at more risk of being injured if she did."

"Exactly," Yoruichi nodded, "Which is why it's our job to make sure she doesn't get an upper hand on Leta while she's weilding that sword."

Ichigo nodded in return, his brown eyes starting to shine with a familiar gleam, the gleam of his resolve to protect someone; he hadn't forgotten that feeling. "So we have to protect Leta short-range, so she can attack Virvi?" He smirked, "I think we can handle that."

"We have no choice," Yoruichi frowned, not sharing his initial optimism. "Leta's the only one of the four of us with a sword," Her eyes narrowed on the Vasto Lorde, "that can do enough damange to inflict serious harm to our enemy."

* * *

Gulo stomped toward the Vasto Lorde Leviathon, his flabby orange flesh bouncing slightly as he moved. "Yer majesty?" He questioned with a slurp.

"Yes, Gulo," Leviathon stretched his bony hand and rested it on Gulo's shoulder, "Everything is in place as we have planned." He smiled from beneath his skeleton-like mask, "but I cannot help but notice it is taking longer than expected for Virvi Medusa to rejoin us."

"She is takin' longer 'an usual," Gulo nodded.

"Indeed," Leviathon nodded, "Which is why-ah!" He looked up, "Brother Sonido! Elder!" He nodded toward the two Vasto Lordes as they approached him from within the dungeon, "Good. I won't have to explain twice. I was just telling Gulo that Virvi Medusa's stay in the Soul Society has been longer than expected."

"Quite sssso," The Elder nodded, while Sonido remained silent.

Leviathon continued, "The ceremony requires myself, Gulo, Elsa, Sonido, and Virvi to be performed...along with our gracious guest of course," He smirked, glancing toward Sonido. "Normally I wouldn't ask to involve you as well, Elder, but I feel in order to move along schedule with my plans, having you take Virvi's place would make the most sense, would it not?"

Sonido flinched slightly, but Leviathon seemed to not notice. If the Elder did, it made no acknowledgement of this; only nodded, "I intended coming here for ssssuch a predicament."

"Did you? How thoughtful," Leviathon sneered sarcastically, "but no matter. I'm ready to start the procedure. You did tell our darling "Trigger" to come to the colliseum, did you not?" Leviathond turned and glanced at Sonido.

The Vasto Lorde nodded gravely, "Yes, I sent her directly to us."

"Excellent," Leviathon moved ahead of the three of them, turning back to face them slowly, "Then Gulo, please inform Queen Elsa, and Elder, please fetch our darling Shinigami," He stared up into the moonlit sky triumphantly, "Let the ceremony begin."


	57. Questions and Answers in the Dark

Two chapters in less than a month? It's a Christmas miracle! ^_^

Seriously, this chapter is starting parts of plot I've wanted to write for literally YEARS, and I'm so happy to now get to this point in the story. This chapter pretty much flowed out from me to this page, and I didn't edit it at all (except spelling things) minus one aspect, but I'll tell you all about it later. I don't want to spoil the surprise! Heh heh.

Anyway, a VERY special thanks to **sendicard **(I hope this chapter answers some of your questions! haha, there's so much that just isn't being answered yet for reasons only I know of, bwahahaha, but yes, there shall be *** kicking. It's coming. I promise. haha! Also, thank you so much for the comment and your support!), **Every shadow has its twin **(Thank you so much! I hope this chapter wasn't too big of a wait for you! ^^), and **djAngelynn. **

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

Enjoy the chapter!

Romania Black

**Chapter Fifty-Seven**

**Slick Silver Tongues  
Rights are Wrung  
Fresh Bleeding Lungs  
Tick of Clock's  
Songs all Sung**

"HAAAAH!" Leta rotated her wrist to the left and angled her zanpakuto Ibuki no Kemono forty-five degrees, the rotating wind turbine of force aimed directly at her target, the Vasto Lorde Virvi Medusa.

Virvi used the hollow flash step known as 'sonido' to move away from the tornado-like blade, but the gap between her and the blade was starting to narrow, as the Vasto Lorde Grimmjow Jaegerjaques and the Shinigami Substitute Ichigo Kurosaki were slowly advancing upon her, hoping to close the gap between her and the blade. Meanwhile, Yoruichi was switching roles between helping to close the gap and making sure Leta had a good grip on her sword.

Yoruichi was worried, for several reasons. There were too many "if" factors in their strategy. Ichigo was good for direct combat, but his powers were still in a gradual "return"; too much at once and he could have his energy spent and be useless. Leta, despite over a century of knowledge of her zanpakuto, was still a greenhorn in using it. Yoruichi knew that in keeping the secret that her sword was actually that of her father, Leta had been heavily restricted in the practice she'd been able to have with her sword. Perhaps in the one-hundred and fifty years of knowing it, she had only practiced with her sword for sixty of those years. It wasn't hard to see the reason why that was. Swinging around a practical tornado-like wind tunnel was anything but subtle.

And then there was Grimmjow, the new Vasto Lorde on the scene. True, he was on their side out of a sadistic blood lust for a rematch with Ichigo, but that reason alone was anything but comforting. Yoruichi didn't trust Grimmjow's alliance with them in the slightest. And against an advisary such as Virvi, have issues of trust was dangerous and deadly.

_Why does this hollow want to leave? _Yoruichi wondered to herself as she kicked Virvi across the face. The Vasto Lorde wasn't too phazed by the hit, but staggered slightly, as she flashed to avoid a kick from Grimmjow on the other side of her. _It makes no sense...If she was here for Ichigo, she would have already taken him...if Karin was her goal, then why is she here? Karin's in Hueco Mundo...why does this hollow need to return there? Why was she here to begin with? _

Virvi Medusa did a back-flip, soaring over the heads of the trio, and as soon as she landed she ducked out of the way as Leta's zanpakuto crashed down, spewing leaves and bark in its wake.

"I don't think her sister's going to be happy with her destroying the grounds like this," Ichigo noted with a small sigh, wiping his forehead and turning to Yoruichi with a half-grin.

"Given the circumstances, I think she'll understand," Yoruichi replied. She actually didn't believe her own words and in fact knew that Layla was probably pacing back and forth frantically as she was evacuating the Kido Corps. Still, it was best not to worry Ichigo anymore than needed.

"I guess," Ichigo nodded, though he looked slightly incredulous.

Grimmjow swung his leg toward Virvi, but she gripped it in her palm and spun him around, striking towards his chest with her free hand. Her hand missed, and instead went straight through the hole in his abdomen. Her red gleaming eyes visibly widened from under the heavy mask. Grimmjow sneered,

"Ooh, too bad for you." He struck her hard with his right hand, sending her flying across the ground.

Leta saw her moment to attack and took it. She swung her zanpakuto down like a guillotine and it landed firmly on the Vasto Lordes, who screamed in agony as the tornado gust of wind crushed upon her flesh, the whirling sword digging into her flesh.

"_Finally_," Yoruichi nodded with a small smile, "We got her."

* * *

Karin had been contemplating a lot of things in that cell over the last several minutes; questions she knew needed to be answered, but she wasn't sure how to go about asking them. However, one clear thought rang in her head as she slowly settled her head upon the tops of her knees:

_I need my zanpakuto, and I need to talk to the Elder or Sonido to know where it is._

She decided then and there that if there was anything she'd need to know before she left the dungeon, it would be how to locate her sword. If she had it, she could at least fight back. That's all she needed at this point. Regardless of what happened, her zanpakuto was needed. She was a Shinigami, after all, was she not?

A familiar creeping sensation suddenly swept across the room. Karin lifted her head into the air. That spiritual pressure slowly oozing down the corridor, followed by the crinkling, tiny tappings of a thousand beatles scurrying across stone could only point to one figure:

_The Elder_, Karin thought in a flash, rising to her feet as quick as she could.

Sure enough, the figure emerging into the shadows was the eldest Vasto Lordes, its gleaming eye looking down at Karin as The Elder approached her cell.

"Are they finally ready to start this ceremony or whatever?" Karin leered, her eyes narrowed.

The Elder stared at her considerably, "I wouldn't be sssso eager to participate, young Ssshinigami," its voice gravely replied, causing Karin to flinch. Karin expected the Elder to pull out a key to open the dungeon cell, but to her surprise, it instead merely ran a finger across the cool metal of the cell door and it swung open lazily; rusty dust scattering in the air.

"Oh," Karin couldn't hide her astonishment, her navy eyes widening, but she didn't say another word as the Elder motioned her out of the cell.

"Pleassse place your handsss behind your back," The Elder calmly told her, and clasped her wrists together behind her. Karin felt a similar warmth of light string across her wrists and saw the yellow-ish glow dimly illuminate their cell. It was the same type of Kido that Trigger had used to bind her before. Karin frowned and looked behind her shoulder, up at the Elder.

The yellow light illuminated its face and she suddenly wished she hadn't seen was was beneath the helmet-like mask; the rotting flesh beneath and the blood-stained shark teeth that were so huge. She turned away quickly in fright, though she knew its one eye was staring at her intently, perhaps gleefully at her fear. She finally managed to speak,

"I have to ask you something, Elder," She mustered the courage to ask, "Can I ask you a few questions before this all happens?"

The Elder seemed for some reason eager to answer, as it rapidly replied in a hushed whisper, "Until the end of the corridor."

Karin wasted no time in asking, "Where is my sword?"

To her dismay, the Elder let out a small laugh, giving her a slight nudge forward as it answered, "You don't need to know the ansssswer to that quessstion yet. But when you do, I will tell," The Elder added at the end, noticing her impatient expression.

"Like that's a big help," Karin grumbled. _Damn, that didn't work. Hmmm... _"Why didn't Sonido take Trigger to Orihime to begin with if he wanted her to return to power and not be sealed by this ceremony?" Karin asked quickly, her eyes flashing briefly at the Elder, making sure it heard.

The Elder indeed did, because its eye was frozen in surprise. After a moment's pause, the Elder breathed a heavy, irritated sigh, "He hassss told you too much-"

"You promised you'd answer me," Karin reminded the Vasto Lorde, noticing they were already halfway down the hallway.

"Yesss, yesss," The Elder hissed, agitated that it had promised to speak, "The answer is sssimple enough. Queen Rosssemerta in her current state cannot create Gargantasss. Sssonido wasss planning on going to the World of the Living, but King Leviathon had already sent two Arrancarss there."

_So Trigger is actually the Queen then_, Karin noted to herself, seeing that the Elder did not call Trigger by her nickname. "But the Arrancars attacked Urahara's shop! They didn't go near Orihime!" A thought struck her, "And why did they end up going after me and Toshiro?"

"The Arrancars did not know the location of thissss Orihime woman," The Elder replied simply, "They landed near a group on Sssshinigami on accident, and retreated. Their meeting with the other Sssshinigami was an unlucky coincidence."

"Then why did they end up coming after me in the Soul Society?" Karin could see the corridor coming to an end.

"The Arrancar Konssso Priatt sssaw you become a Ssshinigami," The Elder sneered, nudging her along. He told our King and he decided to change hissss target to you."

_Change his target? Then who- _"But wait-" Karin started to ask another question, but they were at the end of the tunnel, and the moonlight was now bathing upon Karin's slightly frightened face, her navy eyes wide in uncertainty.

"Ssssorry," The Elder leaned toward her, its rotting breath hazy around her face, "but it'sss time."

* * *

"Got me," The Vasto Lorde rolled across the ground and bounced away from Leta's zanpakuto. Despite having been hit by her tornado-sword, and her flesh cut and bleeding heavily, the hollow was smiling, "I hardly think so."

"Damn," Ichigo cringed angrily, "How the Hell is she still standing?"

"How?" The Vasto Lorde tilted its head in false confusion, "I'm not some petty hollow off the sand's edge, you know," She cooed with false sincerity, "How insulting of you!"

"Ahh," Leta let out a small exhalation of frustration as she drug her feet against the ground; her zanpakuto was, for a second, drawing her away into the forest it was destroying. She managed to grip her sword tighter and steady herself, but she drew Yoruichi's attention to her.

"Are you ok-"

"I'm fine," Leta scolded, her brow furrowing, "I've got this."

"Do you?" Yoruichi started, but the Vasto Lorde drew her attention back toward her with a small cackle,

"Dear me," The Vasto Lorde continued to chuckle, "That Shinigami has a good sword," She picked subtly at her broken skin, "But it's a little much for her, isn't it?"

"You-" Leta turned around angrily at the Vasto Lorde, swinging her sword high above her head and crashing down upon the hollow. Virvi jumped out of the way and the tornado blade smashed against the earth, showering soil on Grimmjow and Ichigo.

"Geez," Grimmjow scoffed, shielding his eyes as he backed away, "That sword is a pain."

"Speak for yourself," Leta huffed, and Ichigo noticed that her shaking palms were starting to look red from the strain of holding the hilt.

"Hold your sword steady, Leta," Yoruichi flashed past her Shinigami friend and advanced the Vasto Lorde, her right arm connecting with the hollow's thick forearm. The feline woman smiled down at the hollow, "You have some tough hierro there, to be able to withstand a blow from Leta's zanpakuto."

"This is nothing," The Vasto Lorde licked the outside of her knotted mask, "You should feel special," She glanced at Yoruichi's arm, "Being able to attack me without a blade. Are you even a Shinigami?"

"Of course I am," Yoruichi took her other arm and connected a left hook with the Vasto Lorde's face, sending her reeling across the frozen earth, dirt kicking up as she rolled, "But I don't need a sword to fight you."

"This is bullshit," Grimmjow wiped his mouth and glared at Ichigo and Yoruichi, "Let's all just go at this bitch and pin her down so that little shit," He nudged his head back at Leta, "can slice her in two. I'm tired of this freakin' dosey do."

"Hmm," The Vasto Lorde rose to her feet, and rose into the air a few feet off the ground, "That would have been a nice idea, wouldn't it have been? I was wondering the same-"

She took a leap from the air and came onto the other side of Ichigo, who didn't have time to react. Her finger rose in the air and a gleaming red light the same color as her eyes flashed across his face,

"-So I think I'll eliminate that option for you."

* * *

Toshiro Hitsugaya had been following the hollow Trigger for several minutes as they approached the colliseum where the other Vasto Lordes were presumably holding Karin Kurosaki hostage. Toshiro wasn't sure what they were planning on doing with her, but whatever it was, it was not going to positively affect Karin's health; that was enough to cause him worry.

"So let me get this straight," Toshiro whispered, something he was not accustomed, or comfortable, doing; especially to the hollow-girl he was traveling with, "This Leviathon Luisenbarn is wanting to take over Hueco Mundo and rule over all of the hollows, right?"

Toshiro had been slowly asking questions as they'd walked. Trigger had only obliged and answered them because she felt it would be pointless for him to be following her with context for what was going to have to happen. Nevertheless, she found this question and answer session an absolute bore and dreadful experience.

"Yes," Trigger sneered, her rosy eye glaring, "how many times do I have to say it? Would you like me to spell it in the sand for you?"

"No," Toshiro pouted, angrily, "but I don't understand. Why go through all this trouble? To get Karin? The Kido Corps? And why aren't you supporting him?"

"So many damn annoying questions," Trigger facepalmed her own forehead, slowly wiping her hand down her cheek in agitation. She sighed heavily and turned her head to answer, their bodies presssed near the colliseum walls. "I'm only going to say this once, so pay attention."

"Fine," Toshiro nodded with a frown.

Trigger rolled her eyes and continued moving alongside the colliseum, as if looking for a secret door on the wall. "Sonido and I have been planning to overthrow Leviathon for a while. We got the Elder on our side, 'cause it hates Leviathon too. But that still leaves Leviathon, Queen Elsa, and his goonies Gulo and Virvi against us. We tried contacting a few other Vasto Lordes we knew existed still, but they wanted no part in either side of the conflict. So, we had to make ourselves another Vasto Lorde-"

"To even the playing field," Toshiro nodded, realizing now why Grimmjow was a Vasto Lorde.

"I'm sorry," Trigger was inches from his face, her face an eternal frown, "Was I explaining just now, or what?"

"Go on," The Tenth Division captain encouraged her, not looking in the least bit apologetic.

"Anyway, I don't know why he was in the Soul Society before, but he chose Karin because of her relation to Ichigo Kurosaki," Trigger glanced away, "She was just easier to capture and control than he was."

Toshiro wasn't sure if she was lying, but didn't respond to her words; he merely looked at her, wondering if she was going to continue.

"So," He finally spoke up, "What are we going to do once we're inside this colliseum?"

"We're going to get Sonido and Karin out of there," Trigger whispered back, without hesitation, "This ceremony they're performing requires that myself, Karin, and Sonido be present. Without the three of us, Leviathon's plans will not come to fruition. And for the sake of your girlfriend, yourself, and your precious Soul Society," Trigger smirked, "We don't want Leviathon to get his way tonight."

"Obviously these Vasto Lorde are going to be strong," Toshiro stated slowly, soaking in her words, "But do they have any special abilities? Any I should know about ahead of time?"

Trigger hesitated a long time before responding, something Toshiro did not like in the least.

* * *

Karin's body was bathed in white moonlight as she rose from the dungeon corridor into the main level of the colliseum. She noticed most of the seats where destroyed, all of them empty in the darkness. The only ones in the colliseum audience were Leviathon, the Vasto Lorde Gulo, and Sonido; the two on either side of Leviathon's side.

"Welcome, dear Shinigami," Leviathon clapped his hands together, his skeletal mask seeming to grin, but Karin wasn't sure if it was just the darkness playing tricks on her eyes, "We'd like to welcome you to the start of our small ceremony."

Karin wanted to think of some heroic speech to say to him, or some catchy line telling him how he was going to "pay" or suffer at the hands of her brother, but her mind was blank. Instead, she merely frowned and let out a smug exhale,

"Screw you."

The Vasto Lorde looked surprised for a split second, then burst into a peel of laughter. "Ohoho! What a tongue this Shinigami has!" He leaned into the moonlight, his skeleton face evilly lit by the light, "I almost want to cut it out."

And this made Karin instantly silence herself and draw closer, as much as she wanted not to, toward the Elder's side.

"Now," Leviathon leaned back into the darkness, his hand resting under his chin, "Let us begin, shall we? Our first task is, of course, to detain you while we ready ourselves for the sealing."

"Don't think I'm going to stand still for you," Karin growled, fighting against the Elder's Kido-like grip.

"I didn't expect you to," Leviathon pointed at her expectantly, "Which is why we prepared for such insolence." His voice sounded almost amused, "If you would, my Queen."

Karin flashed back around, half expecting Trigger to be standing before her. Instead, it was an entirely different hollow; one she had never seen before.

This Vasto Lorde was tall and slender, cloaked in a tattered black robe that drug the ground. It appeared feminine, but its face was a white skull similar to Leviathon's, only with the mouth veiled by black cloth. Its one hand was not visible, but the other seemed to be sporting what looked like a deranged skeletal puppet. Karin cringed at the sight of it; it wasn't small in a 'cute' way that one would associate with puppets. This puppet was a skeleton cloaked in the same black cloth draping over the Queen's arm, with hollow, lifeless eyes, and an unhinged jaw that moved rather easily. The puppet seemed to be staring into Karin's soul as it looked at her, and she almost wished she could shut some kind of door around her to where it couldn't look at her anymore.

The puppet opened its mouth, and a voice slowly rasped out, a metallic whisper,

"Hello."

Karin frowned; this puppet was officially the creepiest thing she'd ever encountered, but somehow her mind almost wanted to answer its sentence with a reply.

"He-" Karin stopped herself, closing her mouth tightly, her eyes wide.

_Why did I try to answer it?_

"Tell me," The puppet continued, "Who have you always missed?"

Karin stared at it, not sure what it meant or how to answer. She was dumbfounded by this thing.

The puppet seemed to realize her uncertainty, and added calmly, "Isn't there someone you miss? Wish was here?"

Karin shut her eyes in frustration. _Don't answer! That's what it wants you to do for some reason! _Her mind thought of numerous people, all of their heads swirling around her in the darkness.

"Ah," the puppet's voice seemed pleased despite its calmness, "I see."

"What are you talking about? I didn't say any-" Karin opened her eyes and froze, her tongue swelling in surprise.

Where Queen Elsa had once been, there now stood the towering image of her brother, Ichigo Kurosaki.

* * *

**And that's all for now! I know...I'm a sucker for cliffhangers. -_-**

**In the meantime though, I hope you all have a great holiday break and a Merry Christmas! 3 Thank you SO much for all your support and comments. **

**I appreciate every single one of them. ^^**

**Rock on,**

**Romania Black**


	58. Requests and Requiems

I hope you all had a good winter break and holiday!

Ah, so I finally have the next two chapters of this fan fiction figured out! ^^ It's so weird, but I've wanted to write this part of the fan fiction since I first began, but when it was time to get it all out on paper, it just...wouldn't come! =_= It was very frustrating, but I finally figured out everything, so the next few chapters should come out soon within each other!

I hope you stay on board with the story. My plan is for the climax to begin in Chapter 60! I hope you like it up until then too.

Special Thanks to ALL of those who support, read, and comment on the story. Special, Special thanks this chapter to: **G0ldv4lley, Dylan Hooper** (Thank you so much! *hug* I hope you like this chapter too!), **, Erin Kamikaze, sendicard **(Thank you! I hope you like the next chapter too! Ah, yes, the Vasto Lordes were all after Orihime for different reasons, but ended up sidetracked...figures. I'm sad this was a failure though! :( I hope the next chapter at least sets up some "explosions" for you!), and **StarTrail** (I hope you make it to this chapter, since your comment was on chapter 8!).

Enjoy the chapter!

Romania Black

**Chapter Fifty-Eight**

**This rusting blood,  
my fight-clenched wrist,  
drips with my last-parting wish  
**

The red heat of the Virvi Medusa's cero was singing the ends of Yoruichi's hair as she grabbed Leta, and pushed her out of the way of the blast, avoiding the turbine of black wind from her zanpakuto. Grimmjow had skidded toward Virvi to try and attack her as she was blasting a cero at Ichigo, but she threw up a leg and caught him at his abdomen, the blunt force of her kick knocking him back.

_Dammit_, Grimmjow ground his teeth together in frustration, _She's good..._

However, the brief moment of her distraction at kicking Grimmjow away had allowed Ichigo to move slightly from the path of the Cero. Instead of getting hit head-on, literally, it sliced past his shoulder and blew him away across the icy remainder of the Kido Corps main hall floor, and into the leftover ruins of its western metal wall. Ichigo slammed into the wall with a loud THUD and let out a cry of pain as he quickly clutched his right shoulder.

"This isn't good," Yoruichi said in a heated gasp of breath, "Ichigo's injured," her eyes traced as the Vasto Lordes collided with each other, arms reaching and scraping against each other's skin, "And Grimmjow isn't going to be able to fair against her for too long."

"Yoruichi," Leta huffed. The cat woman looked down at her friend.

Leta's hair was slowly untangling from her braid, long strands of strawberry blonde cascading down her shoulders toward the ground. Her face was covered in soil and sweat, a large bruise on her right cheek. She looked ravaged and worn, and her hands were raw from holding the zanpakuto that had ceased to emit the tornado waves and was now back in its original state.

"Take a breather," Yoruichi comforted her friend, patting her shoulder, "You look exhausted."

"No, I'm fine," Leta lied; it was true that she felt fatigued and drained of her energy. "We can't let her escape Yoruichi."

"It's looking pretty grim at this point," Yoruichi couldn't help but watch as the two Vasto Lordes continued their swordless duel.

Virvi was swooping down low at Grimmjow's ankles, trying to disable him; while Grimmjow was taking a more direct approach-and merely trying to decapitate Virvi.

"Hold still, you dumb broad," Grimmjow hissed, swiping his large clawed hand toward her.

"Please," Virvi dodged the blow, her lips puckering under the hideously gnarled mask, "Even if I did, you would miss." She ducked low and punched him hard with her left fist. Grimmjow grimaced and let out a low groan but didn't falter. "Oooh," She cooed, smiling evilly, "We are tough, aren't we?"

Yoruichi tore herself from watching the fight. "Perhaps we should contact Layla and Byakuya to make sure they're still in position," She concluded. "We could always ask for backup-"

"-and just have the hollow wait until they arrive?" Leta frowned, her large hazel eyes narrowing. "That's a terrible plan. She'll no doubt escape by then."

"We're running out of options, Leta," Yoruichi said with a hint of irritation, watching Grimmjow narrowly dodge a kick from Virvi.

"Maybe not," Leta slowly straightened, her palm gripping her sword tighter, "We have one other option."

Yoruichi watched her sword hand and her golden eyes widened, "No. Absolutely not. Your spiritual pressure is completely unstable at this point. Attempting to-"

"If we let her go," Leta said slowly and calmly, her eyes gazing intently at Yoruichi, "Then I will have failed in helping Karin, failed to protect the Soul Society, and failed my Captain and my siblings." She spat onto the ground, "And I refuse to succumb to that."

Yoruichi noticed the saliva on the ground was tinted pink. "Leta...this could kill you."

Leta whipped the loose strands of her hair over her shoulder, "I know that." She looked toward Grimmjow and Virvi, and then to Ichigo slowly rising to his feet, still clutching his shoulder in pain, "but this battle was never about me."

* * *

Karin's mind was in a state of static openness. She was still in the colliseum, there were still the Vasto Lordes surrounding her, but in front of her was no longer the shadowed, sinowy black Queen Elsa, but instead her own flesh and blood brother Ichigo.

He was dressed in his Shinigami robes, the large sword wrapped in bandages behind his back. He seemed a monolithic tower, gazing down at her with disapproving eyes, his orange hair highlighted by moonlight.

"Ichigo," Karin didn't know why she whispered his name, but talking seemed to be impossible. "What-what are you doing here?"

"I came here to switch places with you," he replied dryly, a false smile plastered to his face, "Since you can't seem to save yourself."

_This has to be a dream, _Karin shook her head, trying to close her eyes, but for some reason she couldn't. Her gaze was fixed on him. "This isn't real."

"Of course it's real," Ichigo's face was eternally frowning, "When has it not been real?"

"You're not real!" Karin called out angrily, "You weren't there a second ago. It was that hollow! What, do you have some sort of transforming ability?"

"No," The voice didn't come from Ichigo, but from the Vasto Lorde, Elsa, who walked out from behind her brother. Karin's breath caught in her throat as the Vasto Lorde moved to stand beside Ichigo, "I have not 'become' your brother in the slightest."

"Then what is this?" Karin yelled, still unable to move or avert her gaze.

"The moment you started talking to me, it was over," Karin wasn't sure how, but this was not the voice of the puppet from before; this voice was deeper, more chilling. It was a haunting tenor with a hollwed female ring, "I am going to make your death slow and painful."

Karin wanted to reply to her threat, but she couldn't think of anything true to counter it. She seemed rooted to the spot. Then a thought struck her, "This is all in my head, isn't it?"

There was a moment of silence, which Karin took to confirm her suspicions. The Vasto Lorde finally spoke up,

"You catch on quicker than my usual prey."

_Well, duh, most of your prey are probably hollows_. "It wasn't hard to figure out," She raised an eyebrow, looking around and noticing the other Vasto Lorde were silent and immobile; as if time were frozen around them.

"It matters not," Elsa sighed, her deep voice sounding bored, "Even if you strip me the pleasure of confusing you, you have only increased the pleasure I will get from other means," She stepped away from Ichigo and Karin noticed that her left arm did not leave Ichigo's side.

Realization dawned on Karin, "That's your puppet!"

"Yes it is," The Vasto Lorde replied simply, "It aids me in speaking in the material world, but here, "She twitched her wrist and Ichigo's arm raised to his head, "It has different purposes."

"What are you-" Karin started to ask, but stopped as she watched a glob of white clay form above Ichigo's head where the hand was raised.

The hand swung down and a white mask with three red swipes across engulfed Ichigo's face.

"That's-" Karin suddenly realized she was staring into his eyes, only they were now black with yellow pupils. Like that of a hollow. "What is this?" She suddenly wanted to look away, but couldn't.

"You may realize this is an illusion, but there's truly nothing you can do about it. The moment you spoke to this puppet, your mind was trapped within mine." The hollow-masked Ichigo took a step toward Karin.

Karin tried to move a step backward, but couldn't.

"You can attempt to retreat all you like, but if I don't want you to move," her purple lit eyes gleamed, "you will not be able to. It would have been better of you had you not realized this was an illusion-"

Ichigo was not inches from Karin, his yellow eyes peering down eerily at her.

"-I daresay, I enjoy torturing my prey."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the actual colliseum, the Elder noticed Karin twitch in place, her body flinching as if something was bothering her, but her gaze straight ahead; unwavering. Her eyes looked distant, as if in a trance.

"Elsa has her," The Elder sighed, almost disapprovingly.

"Ah, good," Leviathon grinned, "That didn't take long, now did it?"

Sonido had his arms crossed at his chest, his mask offering no hint to his expression beneath. His glinting blue eyes though, were fixed on Karin and Elsa.

"We'll give Elsa a little more time to subdue our dear host," Leviathon continued drawling, "and then once Trigger has arrived we will be able to move forward with the ceremonials." The Great King paused and turned slowly toward Sonido, eyeing him intently, "Darling Trigger _is _coming, isn't she?"

Sonido had no hesitation in his gravelly voice, "Of course," He tilted his head toward the Vasto Lorde, "She should be here very soon."

* * *

Yoruichi ran a hand through across her head, seeing this was a losing battle arguing with the third seat. "You're stepping beyond your boundaries, you know that?" She glared down at her, "Your captain would not approve."

Leta let out a dark, bark of a laugh, "Ha! You must not know Captain Komamura very well then," She smiled inwardly, "He taught us from Day One that you never retreat from battle. You always stand firm and face your enemy courageously, even at the cost of your life."

"There are differences between being courageous and being smart," Yoruichi retorted, "and you are being neither at the moment, Leta."

"I appreciate the concern, friend," Leta patted Yoruichi's shoulder, "But I've already decided this for myself."

At that moment, Grimmjow had finally been able to grip Virvi by the throat with his left hand, his mouth widening into a vicious grin. "Got you now, bitch!"

But the Vasto Lorde merely smiled eerily, and one of her long green dreadlocks wrapped itself around Grimmjow's arm. The newly formed Vasto Lorde let out a grunt of surprise as the end of the dreadlock slowly began to unravel, revealing a small mouth with a tiny row of razor sharp teeth.

"EYAAAAAH!" Grimmjow let out a howl of pain as the dreadlock's tiny teeth started gnawing through his flesh. He immediately let go of Virvi and slid several meters away from her. Gripping his bleeding hand with his good one.

"Ah," Virvi landed on her feet with a maniacal giggle, "I believe the phrase was, 'Got you now, bitch?' Is that right?"

The blood dripped at his feet, Grimmjow's face twisted in pain and a sinister grin, "What a nasty ability you've been holding out on us."

"Please," Virvi rubbed the bloody dreadlock against her cheek with a sneer, "A true lady never shows all of herself." She glanced around, "Oh-ho! Now if you'll excuse me," She had just noticed the cat woman and other Shinigami was nowhere in sight, and that Ichigo Kurosaki was just getting to his feet, but not close enough to stop her, "I'll be on my way-"

"Shunko!" Yoruichi flashed above Virvi and pounded her hard on the head. The Vasto Lorde let out a screech of surprise and was knocked to her knees.

"Bakudo number sixty-two," Yoruichi slid to the left of Virvi and raised her palms in front of her, "Hyapporankan!" Translucent bars of light flew at Virvi and the Vasto Lorde suddenly felt herself feeling numb.

"What is this?" Virvi snickered, despite her seeming immobility, "Shinigami Kido? Please-"

She stopped mid-sentence as she saw Yoruichi had flashed out of the way, grabbing both Grimmjow and Ichigo with both of her hands and telling them something, something that from her lip movements seemed to be the words '_We have to get out of the way_.'

"-Wha-" Before Virvi could finish her sentence, Leta appeared in front of her, her golden sword held at chest's length in front of her. "What's this?" Virvi managed to utter with a crooked, slightly confused smile.

"Ask and you shall receive." Leta flashed a ghost of her trademark grin, her hazel eyes narrowing in anger, "Bankai."

* * *

**YEP! Cliffhangers are cliffhangers. What can I say? Now that this chapter is done...onto the next! I'm really excited to get it out for you all to read and enjoy. But this was the best place to stop for now.**

**Thank you for all the support! I really love all your comments, critique, and love of the story. **

**Best wishes until next time,**

**Romania Black**


	59. Fear of the Eventual Fall

Wow, has it really been five months since I've updated this story? I'm so sorry for keeping you all waiting! This semester was my last of college, and I was working on my Thesis which ended up consuming so much of my time. For a while, I was only writing on that, and that was enough!

But NOW, college is finished, I'm back from a week's vacation, and I am AMPED on finishing this story! For all of you who have stuck by and are still reading this, a _**MILLION **_times over, thank you! *So many digital hugs right now!* For those who are new to the story, I hope you are liking it!

A special thanks to those who have reviewed and favorite'd the story:

**Evangeline43, NTK13** (Thank you so much! I'm glad you're liking the story! Oh yes, I can't wait for Trigger and Toshiro to get back into the story line either!), **Adaptables, Bombat1994, yuki-eevee, WatchKeepers, Shadow **(Thank you for staying loyal! Yes, this last semester was very taxing on my writing, but now I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things!), **Devil's Way, Generalmayhem02, Hell's Bad Angel** (Oh YEAH! Leta's Bankai debuts this chapter! I really hope you like it, and thank you for the compliment!), **TiggerCat9, DJKuhns, Countess Glow, WatsonandMary4ever, Emmett'sBabieGurl, kenpachibankai, **and **Dylan Hooper **(Thank you for staying with the story! Yes, the Vasto Lorde are kind of oblivious to many aspects about Ichigo...and yes! Leta's Bankai! I hope you like it!)

Enjoy the chapter! The poem to this chapter is one of my favorites I've written so far, and really speaks for the chapter. 3

Romania Black

**Chapter Fifty-Nine**

**The fear  
The dread knowledge of eventual fall  
Escaping gasps as I crawl  
Following; twisted, writhing, a broken doll  
Gliding closer, that Golden Hall**

**The fear doesn't come  
It's set within  
And ripens with each passing sin**

"Ask and you shall receive," Leta smirked, her pink lips tinged with blood. The golden sheathed sword held at chest's length glowed and she breathed quickly the word, "Bankai."

A slow, steadily rising rumble of thunder filled the air, and both Ichigo and Grimmjow glanced around, confused.

"Is that thunder?" Ichigo asked, mostly to himself. The sky was a grayish blue, but there had been no dark clouds near them. Now above them were gathering patches of dark gray masses; the wind was picking up. _A storm?_ Ichigo wondered.

"Move back!" Yoruichi was antsy, her golden eyes apprehensive. She had flash-stepped several hundred yards back.

"Wha-Yoruichi!" Ichigo was slightly dumbstruck as he flashed, much slower, back toward her. He appeared beside her, breathing heavily. Grimmjow was already beside the two of them, silent with a defensively stoic look on his stark features. "What's going on?"

"I'm assuming you're not deaf," Yoruichi gave him a scolding frown, "Leta's summoned her Bankai."

"Well, yeah, but I thought we weren't supposed to let that Vasto Lorde escap-"

"The Hell is that?" Grimmjow let out a yell of surprise, his teal eyes widening. Ichigo and Yoruichi glanced back to where the brewing winds and storm clouds were gathering.

The dark soil had broken in large chunks, like the surface of an egg cracking, as a rush of gloomy air exhaled from beneath the earth, a flowing geiser straight into the blackening sky from the ravine in the ground. The gusts of air separated into three individual funneling tubes of air that rose higher and higher into the sky. Ichigo's eyes traced downward to see where the air was originating from, and saw it was no longer coming from the earth itself. Rather, each tornado was emitted from the mouth of a large black, soil speckled head of a fearsome mongrel-appearing dog, with bone-cut razor teeth and eyes a brilliant golden yellow. He knew, from Orihime's books on Greek mythology she would bring to his home, the resemblence to the Cerebrus dog; the guardian to the gates of Hell.

Which is exactly what Leta's bankai appeared as.

The three looked upon the massive three-headed cerebrus, the dog rising as if birthed from the black soil below it. The three heads had their mouths open, each releasing a separate swirling vortex of wind. The Vasto Lorde, Virvi Medusa, was frozen in place, staring up at the massive beast.

"What...is..."

Leta appeared, standing atop the middle dog head, her long hair whipping from side to side, but she seemed somehow not affected by the ferocious winds.

"Kamisori kaze no akumahaundo," Leta breathed the mouthful of a name, thick strips of strawberry hair whipping across her narrowed eyes.

Virvi had wasted no time and leapt into the air, appearing just in front of Leta, her hand swiftly diving toward the Shinigami, "Don't think I'm impressed," She hissed, taking a swing and missing Leta's head by inches. The 7th seat took two steps backwards on the dog-bankai's head, her hands coming up to shield the side of her head. Virvi was floating on the air above the bankai, looking down at the Shinigami with a disgusted, confident sneer.

"Theatrics are pointless; they only put up false pretenses of power."

* * *

"Ichigo, stop!" Karin struggled to shout at the image of her hollowfied brother towering over her, his hand latching around her thin neck. He had a white mask with horizontal red stripes covering his face, but she could make out from beneath the mask the outline of a cold frown.

"Perhaps you are having a difficult time remembering that your voice will not reach him here," The Vasto Lorde behind Ichigo said with false sincerity, a spidery hand tracing the bottom of her chin.

"Shut up!" Karin reflexively shot back to her, "Tell him to-"

Karin gasped aloud as the warm hand of her brother tightened around her throat. His features were transforming before her eyes: his skin was becoming a greyish white, the mask spreading around his head as long crooked horns emerged from the sides of the mask engulfing his face. A hollow's hole became visible at his chest, where his heart should be. The deep frown imprinted on his face was covered by the white clay of the mask.

Karin's face was frozen in terror; he looked like a monster.

"Ah ah," Elsa sneered, "I fear I cannot hear you, tiny Shinigami. Did you say something?"

Karin attempted to tug against the grip of his hand, but it was like attempting to move a boulder. She felt sweat dripping down her throat, down her forehead, into her eyes; stinging them as she blinked.

"Ichi-" She could barely squeeze out his name.

A low, rumbling and gluttoral animal growl rattled from the creature in front of her.

_He's like one of them,_ the terrifying thought raced through her mind.

The Vasto Lorde Queen, Elsa, was hovering behind Ichigo, the purple glow of her eyes narrowing, as if thinking, waiting for something to happen.

_When Sonido asked me...asked me his question...I answered it without hesitance. I-_She coughed loudly, drooling, trying not to choke on her own saliva. Her navy eyes glanced up at the hollowfied Shinigami before her. _I wasn't listening to his question...not really..._

"Ichigo," She coughed, _I just considered him a monster, _she squinted her eyes shut tightly, throbbing pounding against the side of her head, "I-" she was choking, "I-mm-"

_"Are you done yet, Karin?"_

The young Shinigami blinked, her eyes snapping open. The moment had seemed to pause, because her hands were glued to her brother's white arm. The Vasto Lorde was motionless, but her draped robe was hung in mid-air.

_Did...did time just stop?_ Karin thought to herself in shock.

_"I don't know if that's the right terminology," _From the white sand rose a crimson, almost black, head of hair and those familiar burning feather earrings, _"But essentially, yes."_

"Yakyuu!" Karin exhaled in a gasp. She suddenly realized her throat, though still in Ichigo's grasp, wasn't preventing her from being able to speak. "How did you-?"

_"This is all ocurring in your mind,"_ Yakyuu had bounced onto the sand and was stretching her long athletic legs, _"So why shouldn't I be here?"_

Karin hadn't considered that. "Then," Karin pondered out loud, "You've been here this whole time?"

Yakyuu shook the sand out of her head nonchalantly_, "Yes."_

Karin smiled sarcastically, "Oh, I see," Then exploded angrily, "Then why did you wait until _now _to help me?"

_"Oh?"_ Yakyuu stopped shaking her head, gazing at Karin innocently, _"I thought you were handling everything fine up until now."_

Karin felt a vein twitch on the side of her forehead, "You are unbelievable-" Suddenly a thought struck her, "Hey! Where are you?" She realized she should probably clarify, "The sword version of you?"

Yakyuu scratched her head, as if disappointed Karin didn't know, _"Are you kidding? I've been here the whole time!" _

Karin stared blankly at her, "Are _you _kidding? No you haven't!" Then it hit her, the words the Elder had spoken-

_"You don't need to know the ansssswer to that quessstion yet. But when you do, I will tell-"_

"The Elder!" Karin would have smacked her own forehead had they not been stuck on Ichigo's arm, "The Elder has it-"

_"You don't have time, Karin,"_ Yakyuu interjected, cutting Karin off. Karin noticed that Yakyuu was quickly becoming transparent.

"What's going on?" She also noticed her throat was tightening again.

_"The Vasto Lorde is trying to push her false reality to the forefront of your mind," _Yakyuu was looking back bitterly, her shortened hair swinging, _"She's nudging me aside! Karin, keep fighting her!" _Her red eyes were burning as she smiled broadly, _"Don't surrender to her! Make her surrender to you! You are so close, Karin, don't let her-"_

Yakyuu's voice muted and she diminished from sight, leaving Karin struggling against the grip of her brother once again.

"Interesting," Time had seemed to regain itself, as Elsa dusted the flap of her cape that had been suspended in mid-air. "Your zanpakuto's spirit was attempting to override my power," She appeared to be saying this more to herself than Karin. "But how?"

Ichigo's hand was tightening hard, but now she knew that there was a way she could fight Elsa's illusions. Karin gripped his arm with her hands harder than before.

_You can do this,_ Karin had known this Ichigo was an imposter from the beginning, but the false reality created by the Vasto Lorde Queen had seemed so overbearing, so unbreakable. _Yakyuu said you could-don't surrender to him-to her-_

"Get-off-me!" Karin grunted, and felt her fingers dig into his pale flesh. She felt the resistance against them. _Meaning, _Karin's eyes were widening, _it's working-_

"How did that Zanpakuto invade my power?" Elsa was not focusing on Karin and Ichigo, but talking to herself still, "How could such a being be so close to the front of her conscious? Unless..."

_CRACK!_

The sound of a loud thud hurled The Vasto Lorde Queen from her thoughts as she snapped her head toward Karin, with both sudden realization and shock.

* * *

"Theatrics?" Leta smirked, lowering one hand from shielding her head. With a flick of her wrist Virvi was blasted from behind by what looked like an isolated tunnel of wind and thrown against a cluster of trees beside them. "I would hardly consider my bankai an illusion."

The Vasto Lorde spat several clumps of soggy leaves and soil from her mouth and growled angrily, flinging herself from the ground and back up at the Shinigami, her anger causing her to move quicker and dodge the refined funnels of wind hurling themselves at her.

The two Shinigami and the other Vasto Lorde were witnessing the fight from several hundred yards away. Ichigo could see now why Leta's bankai would be taxing to use. Each dog head was emitting smaller tornado-like funnels of spiritual pressure at once, causing a confusing and frightening display of power that even the Vasto Lorde was having to work in dodging.

"With all that spiritual pressure being used-" Ichigo started, almost to himself, though Yoruichi finished the sentence for him,

"-It's only going to be a matter of time before Leta's energy is used up," She finished with a frown. "Leta's barely been able to practice fighting with her bankai because of its obvious size and though her spiritual pressure is strong, it's not nearly enough to be able to fight for an extended period of time." Yoruichi turned to Ichigo and Grimmjow, her golden eyes flashing, "We need to decided on how to finish off this Vasto Lorde and fast! Any ideas?"

"There's something I should tell the two of you," Grimmjow suddenly spoke up, which caused both Yoruichi and Ichigo to immediately turn to him with attentive stares. Grimmjow looked disgusted to even be speaking to them, "I had been told she was tough but I wasn't planning on it taking us this long to beat this bitch, but seeing as how we're she's tougher than she looks-"

"-Just spit it out," Ichigo interrupted sternly.

"I was getting to it!" Grimmjow spat back, his arms crossed at his chest, "Point is, while I do want to tear Kurosaki into the ground when all this is over, I didn't come here to get rid of her alone," He motioned to Virvi, who was in midair lunging continuously at Leta while dodging the barrage of swipes from the tornados around her. "I came here to distract her from going back to Hueco Mundo."

"What are you saying?" Yoruichi's golden eyes were wide as if she was piecing things together.

"How dumb are you all?" Grimmjow sneered, "There's a group of Vasto Lorde ready to infiltrate the Soul Society and if this broad meets back up with them they'll be near invincible...even for us." He glared at the two of them, hating that he had to explain.

"But," Yoruichi's eyes suggested she already knew this, "Why did she have to come here in the first place?"

"To set things up so the barrier between the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo would be easier to break through," Grimmjow shrugged, thinking this was common knowledge enough.

"The Twelfth Division," Yoruichi was practically talking to herself, confirming things in her mind with her hand resting on her chin, "And the Ball..."

"What are you two even talking about?" Ichigo finally shouted furiously, ticked off that he was so far out of the loop.

"I'll explain it to you later," Yoruichi whipped her head back to the Shinigami Representative, "Right now, we need to find a way to secure that Virvi Medusa cannot leave here and that Leta has as much time as she needs to fight her."

"Well, at least until the others arrive," Grimmjow added.

The other two slowly rotated back to the Vasto Lorde.

"_What _others?"

* * *

"Is there a problem?" Leviathon's dark voice was smooth as he inquired toward the Vasto Lorde Queen Elsa, who seemed to slightly fidget in her place.

Meanwhile inside the Queen's mind, the purple glow of her eyes had widened as Karin snapped the grip of her hollowfied brother from her neck and used his arm to launch herself into the air. With a swift flick of her leg, she swung her foot around to collide into the neck of the hollowfied Ichigo, sending him crashing to the ground beside her.

_He's weaker than he looks_, Karin observed to herself, _But then again, this isn't the real Ichigo...just an illusion made by her_, Karin's gaze shifted toward Elsa, who looked more surprised than anything.

"Is there a problem, North Queen?" Leviathon repeated, the voice emitting from his skeletal head growing slightly impatient.

The grisly puppet beside the Vasto Lorde queen suddenly quivered, with a hurried franticness about it, "Perform the ritual!"

The Elder tilted its head in confusion, while Sonido seemed to fidget in shock. Gulo slobbered with a confused grunt while Leviathon gave a gentle snort of a laugh,

"What's this? But dear sister Virvi is not with us-"

"Then she is forfeit!" The puppet's voice was a screech against the darkened colliseum walls, her purple eyes glowing, "The girl," The Queen hissed, "She is breaking-"

Suddenly the Queen went silent, as if concentrating on something standing directly in front of her.

It was Karin, subconsciously advancing on the Vasto Lorde in Elsa's twisted illusion.

"Well, lost for words?" Karin smirked, her fists clenched and drawn up to her chest. She gazed over at the false-Ichigo, who was slowly rising to his feet. "Your illusions have more bark than bite if you ask me."

"Foooool," Elsa hissed to the Shinigami, "A mere toddler of a Shinigami cannot defeat my illusions."

The hollowfied Ichigo lunged at Karin, but she lept into the air and placed her palm smack-dab onto the top of the hollow mask covering Ichigo's head. With a quick thrust, she catapaulted herself behind him and with a backflip kick sent him flying the other direction, smashing against the ground with a loud thud.

"You seem to be the fool," Karin wiped a drop of sweat running down the side of her face, "for underestimating a Kurosaki."

Outside the illusion, Leviathon glanced lazily toward the Elder, "Elsa seems flustered; perhaps we should continue the ceremony without Medusa." He scratched his chin haphazardly, "I suppose we could simply use brother Sonido in place of her."

"And I bet," Karin took a step toward Elsa, "If your illusions aren't up to snuff as the real thing, then you aren't in here either." Her eyes narrowed triumphantly.

Elsa's purple glowing eyes were enormous.

"Am I right?" Karin eyes were angry, but her mouth was spread into a large grin.

The Elder sighed, the eyeball in its head shifting slightly, "I suppose," its hand was resting firmly inside a pocket of its robe, which Leviathon noticed casually with slight suspicion, but said nothing. "The ceremony should yield the same results-"

"She's broken the illusion!" The puppet beside the great North Queen broke out into a shrieking wail, "That arrogant little witch broke through my illusion!"

The arm that was not connected to the puppet raised high into the air. It was sinowy and bony like the other, but instead of a puppet on the end, a spidery hand with long, thin nails extended like blades raised into the air.

Leviathon raised his head curiously, "Elsa, it's too early to-"

Elsa was already swinging her bladed-hand toward Karin's still form, "She-

Karin was running toward the illusion of Elsa when the Vasto Lorde's illusion disappeared.

"-Must-"

The Shinigami was blinded by a large white light, "Wait, what's going on?"

"-DIE!"

Karin swayed in her step, coughing at the flung dust in the air. Her eyes were just starting to adjust to the darkness around her.

The thick sound of a blade slamming into flesh and bone echoed through the colliseum.

The Shinigami's mouth hung open but no words or breath could escape her throat. Her eyes, finally adjusted to the lack of light, stared in horror.

Elsa's bladed fingers had sunk deep into Sonido's chest.

* * *

_**...Don't you hate cliffhangers? Next chapter soon! (MUCH SOONER THAN THIS ONE! Promise!)**_

_**Thanks for all the support! I can't wait to hear what you think!**_


	60. Rhythm of Death

I apologize (once again) for taking so much time in updating this story! I do have (sort of) a good reason for being distracted. I was recently hired to teach two English courses! I'm so happy to have a job; of course, though, this means I have to spend a lot more time getting the courses ready, grading papers, etc.

However, considering this story has about 15 more chapters to go...I'm hoping to have it finished by the end of this year! Crazy, right? I can't believe I've been writing it for over 3 years now. _

So please, be patient with me...I know I've spent most of your patience so far.

Also, special thanks to the following as always:

**RessuscitatedHope, CUI0016, toolazytosignin** (Ha! Oh yeah, I realize that I could have already written a novel...and I'd honestly consider selling this if I could. I guess I consider this more fun than anything...and good practice for future writing, eh?), **bleachlover107, Teddybear27, hitsukarin4lyf** (Sorry to keep you waiting so long! I hope you like the story!), **Yvonna** (Oh thank you! I hope the wait wasn't too much for this chapter! As for Nel...well, we certainly haven't seen the last of her! But I don't want to give too much away too soon! ), **Richard Omega** (Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you like the story; you sound pretty busy with your own and that's awesome!)**, MusicWritessLife, pikachuhats, DarkShadowOfTime, KuroNoHiryu, Dylan Hooper** (Oh thank you! I'm glad you were surprised by Leta's bankai! And yessss, Karin is having similar instances to Ichigo! Someone noticed! haha, I hope the wait for this chapter wasn't too bad. ) and** Every shadow has its twin** (Yes! I knooooow, SONIDO! T_T Well, I can't give too much away...but I hope you enjoy the chapter still!)

Enjoy the chapter!

Romania Black

**Chapter Sixty**

**Swang down  
fingers against the page  
Chop down  
destroying a guilded age**

The moment was muted; Karin's mouth tightly shud her navy irises floating in wide white saucers. The muscles in her arms wouldn't even dare to twitch as she watched the Vasto Lorde Queen dig her long blade-like fingernails into the chest of the Vasto Lorde Sonido.

The claws pinned Sonido the dusty ground with a heavy _thud_. He made no cry of pain, but rather flopped almost pitifully to the dirt, as if resisting any type of movement.

Karin, still in shock, backed up and into the cloak surrounding the Elder. She flinched and twisted her head to glance for a second at the Vasto Lorde, who was silent. She had no idea what it was thinking.

"Ahh," The Queen, Elsa, hissed angrily. Or rather, the puppet attached to her other hand hissed.

"Why'd he go do that?" Gulo slobbered, his head tilted toward Leviathon, who remained silent. He was staring intently down at Sonido; seeming clearly displeased with the scene.

The moment after Elsa stabbed Sonido seemed to last an eternity to the frozen Shinigami, before finally Leviathon sighed, his breath rattling inside his hollow skull.

"Elsa, the traitor has finally seemed to show his face."

* * *

The Seventh Division Third Seat, Leta Kamaguchi, looked as if she had seen better days. Her strawberry blonde hair was matted to the side of her sweat-covered face and her body was soaked with a grisly combination of dirt, sweat, and blood. Still, she forced herself to stand her petite frame straight.

_Kamisori kaze no akumahaundo_, Leta pleaded silently to her sword, _Fight alongside me a little longer._

Virvi Medusa, her eyes wide and furious, was several feet away, hunched slightly over; the gnarled mask covering her face having even more marks and scrapes across it.

_She must use that mask as a face shield, _Leta observed with a heavy sigh. It was going to be harder than she thought, landing the killing blow.

"That sword is powerful," The Vasto Lorde said slowly, her eyes narrowing at Leta, "Too powerful to belong to you."

"Now, now," Leta laughed darkly, her trademark grin surfacing, "You don't seem like someone who should judge others on appearance alone," And with her last word she lunged forward, and her bankai followed suit with an enormous funnel of wind.

* * *

Karin's eyes, still wide with shock as she stared at Sonido lying on the sand bathed in moonlight, slightly glanced away and toward Leviathon.

_Traitor? _

"Please, Elder," The would-be Great King gestured with a flick of his wrist and suddenly the Elder's arms were wrapped tightly around Karin.

"Wait-Let go!" Karin struggled against the Elder's grip when she suddenly felt something cold as metal nudge her palm. The rounded end was smooth as-_My sword! _Karin thought with slight and desperate relief. She glanced up at the Elder, who was glaring at her with a watchful, cautious eye that clearly said, "_Not. Yet." _

Karin struggled a little more to make the Elder's grasp look convincing, but all the while she knew that at the right moment, she would release Yakyuu on these Vasto Lordes. It was all a matter of 'when.'

"My, my," Leviathon yawned, his skeleton hand scratching the underside of his bony chin, "I would have expected something rash from _her_," the word came out as a sneer, "...but not from you, Sonido."

The Vasto Lorde said nothing, only gasped for air in short, small breaths. Elsa, her non-puppeted hand dripping thick crimson, slowly inched toward the fallen hollow, the puppet raising up to speak,

"The ceremony will continue after we deal with this traitor," its high-pitched voice sent a wave of chills down Karin's spine. "We must ask him...the Question."

Karin leaned back so the Elder was the only one that could hear her whisper, "What's this "Question?"

The Elder did not seem to enjoy explaining to Karin, "Watch. You shall see," it replied grimly.

Gulo slobbered and tilted his head in confusion, but Leviathon flicked his wrists flippantly, "Get on with it, I suppose. Just make it quick, please."

Elsa nodded, the puppet in unison, and she towered over Sonido, an embodiment of the guillotine that would surely deliver his final breath.

"You can join us again, you know," The high-pitched puppet lowered down to Sonido's face, its squeeky voice surprisingly comforting, "We shall forget the entire incident if you agree to the terms of the council."

For a moment, Sonido seemed to be considering this offer, his breathing slowing to a consistent but hasty pace. Finally, he asked in a whisper,

"Terms?"

"Yes," The puppet nodded its head, "Only one. You must kill the Shinigami girl."

Karin straightened reflexively, her eyes wide with confusion and slight terror. She glanced from Sonido to the Elder, who seemed to sigh as if knowing this would come, and then back to the fallen Vasto Lorde, who was silent.

"Kill the Shinigami you threw yourself in front of and we will welcome you back with open arms," The puppet offered gleefully. "Refuse though, and the alternative is death."

_Some options_, Karin gritted her teeth, struggling to keep her hands at her side and not lean toward Yakyuu._ It's still too soon...if I reach for my zanpakuto now, I won't have the advantage needed to strike...and will surely be killed. But..." _She wasn't sure if she was too safe either way.

Elsa's puppet-like translator leaned closer to Sonido, only inches from his face. The silence that hung over the entire colliseum was thick, stifling, and heavy. Finally, the puppet asked with a rasp,

"Your choice?"

Sonido lifted his head in a jerking, tense manner. His neck strained, he looked straight up at Elsa and stated in a heavy breath:

"Escojo la muerte."

Elsa and her puppet were in a stunned silence. Gulo emitted a low rattling growl, as Leviathon hissed a _Tsk, tsk _under his breath. The Elder seemed to inhale and forget to exhale as it held a confused Karin against its chest.

"What did he say?" Karin whispered, half to herself.

The Elder, glancing down with a chilling crane of its bony neck, answered plainly,

"He chose death."

The young shinigami spun her head with a jolt to look up at the Elder; Karin's eyes widening in shock._ He WHAT?!_ She swirled her head back toward Sonido, who was panting loudly on the ground, attempting to rise from the dusty floor.

Elsa's blade-like fingers dug into his chest, pinning him to the earth.

The Vasto Lorde howled in pain, a squirt of blood jutting from beneath the skull-like mask. Karin reflexively moved forward toward him, but the Elder instantly jerked her back.

"If this is what you choose," Elsa's puppet said in an eerily sing-song voice, "Then there is no further use of you, is there? Traitor!"

The nails of her fingers drove into Sonido, harder this time. The Vasto Lorde's muscles tensed and his back arched slightly off the ground from the pain of the stab.

_Sonido,_ Karin thought in despair, unable to look away.

Elsa's puppet squealed as the blades struck again, this time below his ribcage. With a loud _THUNK _they sliced into his abdomen.

_Thunk_. The blades sank into his right side, through the arm and bone with a chopping slap. Sonido winced, blood seeping through cracks in the mouth of the mask.

_Thunk_. The blades dug lower, deeper; through the hip and pelvis.

_Thunk_. The fingers sliced into his pale flesh like butter; the chest and then the ribcage.

_Thunk. _

_Thunk. _

_Thunk. _

The slicing and piercing became a rhythm; a disgusting pattern that made Karin's heart race faster and faster with each beat. She was pressed against the Elder and desperately wanted to do nothing more but grab her zanpakuto and rush forward. She was outnumbered terribly...but...

"Stop it," Karin felt the words escape her lips, her eyes on Sonido's body. He was slowly starting to wince less and less with each strike of Elsa's arm. "Stop it."

The Vasto Lorde paid her no mind, and continued on with another loud _thunk _into his side.

"Stop it," Karin's voice grew louder, growing more and more emotional. She couldn't explain it, but a lump was rising from the pit of her stomach, crawling up her throat and nestling in the back of her mouth, making her eyes start to water and her voice crack, "Stop it!"

But the Vasto Lorde refused, and continued her assault on Sonido. Tiny streams of red were growing thicker and thicker around his collapsed body.

Karin, the hair sticking to her sweat-covered face as she rocked against the Elder's arms, wailed, "Stop it! He's already a corpse! Stop!"

She felt a hand on her shoulder tighten as the Elder gripped one of her hands and she suddenly felt cool metal against the inside of her palm.

With one glance, Karin knew the Elder was wanting the same as she; to rescue Sonido from his fate at the hands of the Northern Queen Elsa.

Karin leaned back against the Elder, her body falling against what she assumed was a hollowed-out ribcage.

"When?" She whispered, attempting to make it seem like a murmur to herself.

"What is she mumbling about?" Leviathon sighed, glancing from Elsa and Sonido haphhazardly.

"Well," The Elder spoke slowly, as its bony hand placed the hilt of her sword into Karin's, "Now, now, _now_."

"Surrender!" Karin pulled the sword from behind the Elder's robes with a long swing. "Yakyuu!"


	61. White Ash, Red Moon

So, this chapter. Yep, I've debated how to write this chapter since I first started this story over three years ago. I've rewrote it, rethought it, and it's gone through SEVERAL revisions in the process, but all in all, I'm pleased with how this finally turned out.

I hope you like it too.

Thank you all for supporting this story and reading! Your comments and readership mean SO much to me! *hug*

Special thanks to my wonderful reviewers and watchers from the last chapter: **Maghands, finchyyy, Snowlily246 **(Oh you know she will! ^_^), and **Richard Omega** (Thanks for the support! Hope you like the chapter!)

Enjoy the chapter!

Romania Black

**Chapter Sixty-One**

**I heard you like a whisper  
Echoes through the hollowed tunnels  
The caverns of my broken ears**

**I felt you like a whisper**  
**Lingering traces of soft red petals**  
**The brief encounter of you on my lips**

"Now!" The Elder's raspy voice quipped softly as it released Karin, her zanpakuto finally reunited with her.

"Surrender, Yakyuu!" Karin screamed in fury, the blade of her sword swinging forcefully from behind the robes of the Elder.

"Eh?" The Northern Queen's puppet muttered, confused, but Karin had already sent a blast of molten hot magma toward the Vasto Lorde. The hollow's bladed hand was still stuck in Sonido's body, so she could only deflect with the other. The lava crashed onto her skin, and the puppet let out a frightful wail as it was covered in lava. "Ahhhh! What is this?"

Gulo had sprung toward Karin, but the Elder had sent the fat Vasto Lorde flying toward a colliseum wall with a sweep of its sinowy arm. Leviathon, coolly as possible, had glided to meet the Elder, a silvery sword clasped in his hand. The Elder blocked it with its bony arm. The two were face to face, Leviathon's white skull and The Elder's silvery mask gleaming in the ray of moonlight.

"So, first her, then Sonido, and now you too, Elder?" Leviathon sneered.

"I thought you knew," The Elder's voice rattled, "All bad things come in threes."

Karin wasted no time, as she swung her sword repetitively, over and over. "Take this! And this, you witch!" The waves of crimson red liquid splashed over the shocked Queen and drove her further from Sonido, wrapping her body in lava. The Vasto Lorde's puppet was hysterical, wailing as the lava hardened around her body.

_Obviously, that won't hold her forever, _Karin's mind raced, _But I can grab Sonido and-_

The clanking of blade against bone caused Karin to flash her head back. The Elder was locked in combat against Leviathon, but the latter seemed to have the upper hand. I _can't just leave The Elder to fight him...can I?_

Before she could think anymore about the situation, a sudden slobbery roar emerged from behind her and she spun around to see the fat orange Vasto Lorde Gulo running straight for her on all fours.

"Ah!" Karin, distracted and unprepared for the ambush, began to raise her sword to send a wave of lava rushing at Gulo. But it wouldn't be soon enough. His mouth open wide and rows of jagged white teeth gleaming, he was going to crash his massive jaw down on her head.

And just as his head was inches from hers, a white blast of cold light caught the rest of Gulo's body and sent it flying out of the entire colliseum, the stone walls on one side smashing apart.

Leviathon's head spun for a moment to glance at the destruction, but he didn't call out Gulo's name. In fact, he looked more annoyed that the colliseum wall was destroyed than anything. His attention was quickly drawn back to The Elder, who had now pulled out a black staff from under his robes and slammed it down against his sword.

Karin's navy eyes widened in surprise; he was the last person she'd expected to see, but the first she had wanted.

"Toshiro!"

The Shinigami Captain had his zanpakuto drawn and looked a stern mix of confused and furious at the situation. A trail of ice led from where Gulo had been launched out of the colliseum to where he stood. Toshiro gave Karin a hardened stare,

"Leave it to you, Kurosaki, to land yourself in such a mess."

Karin's face instantly blushed, her cheeks puffing up in a pout, "Excuse me? Since when did I ask you for rescuing?"

It was Toshiro's turn to blush, "Wha-what?! Did you think you were going to take all these Vasto Lorde on yourself?"

Karin turned her head, her arms crossed at her chest defiantly, "I could have," She replied bluntly.

Toshiro's brow furrowed angrily, "Let's argue about this later," the fight between The Elder and Leviathon had caught his eye, "Why are they fighting? Or do I even want to know?"

"Ah," Karin was suddenly aware where she was again, "I-I can explain that. Oh!" Her head spun to behind Toshiro to Sonido, "First, we have to help him!"

She ran behind the captain toward the fallen Vasto Lorde, who was laying in a heap in the sand, which had clumped together from the blood mixing with it.

"Sonido! Sonido, can you hear me?" Karin shook him, and winced; her hand was instantly stained with dark crimson. "Sonido."

A rattle of a voice shook, no words, but enough for her to know he was still alive.

"Come on," Karin wrapped her arms around his upper body, "We have to get him out of here while there's still a chance to save him."

"Karin, are you out of your mind? We don't have time-"

"Toshiro," Karin stopped him, her eyes boring into his. "He saved my life just now. He's coming with us."

The finality hung in the air around them. After a second, Toshiro hung his head with a loud sigh,

"There's no arguing with you, is there?"

A large smirk highlighted Karin's face. "Never," she replied coyly.

The other side of the colliseum suddenly burst open, sand and cobblestone spewing across the ground around Karin and Toshiro. Toshiro tilted his head to shield from the full force of it; Karin raised a hand to her face, coughing sand loudly.

"What the-?" Karin stared in confusion.

From the cloud of smoke arose a huge worm-like creature with shiny black scales, a violet underbelly, and a white horned mask with glowing eyes. And then, from atop the mask rose a familiar face.

"Hey!" Trigger snarled, her voice whiny and nervous, "Grab the girl and let's go!"

"Trigger!" Karin shouted with a smile, "What on earth is that-"

"Come on," Toshiro had grabbed Sonido under one arm and was tugging on Karin. "We have to go now!"

"Right!" Karin turned and followed him up onto the back of the slimy snake hollow.

Leviathon let out a roar of objection to Trigger's arrival, "YOU!" He screeched, but the Elder had him blocked, the black staff against his neck. "You can't kill me, old fool."

"I know," The Elder seemed to smile underneath its mask, "That will be the girl's job, won't it?"

The glow of Leviathon's eyes grew immensely as he let out a raging wail, "Arrghhgh!" He swung his sword and knocked the Elder out of the way.

"Go, go, go!" Karin yelled out.

"Bawabawa!" Trigger screamed, "Let's move!"

The hollow worm rushed forward in the sand, and Karin had to grip its scales to keep from sliding off. She glanced behind her to see the Vasto Lorde speeding towards them. "Toshiro!" But the captain was ahead of her already. Hyorinmaru in hand, he sent a wave of ice toward the Vasto Lorde King, sending him flying backward.

A slobbery sound appeared on Karin's right side and she gasped when she saw Gulo climbing the side of the hollow snake. "Ah! You!"

"Hold still, ya git," Gulo blubbered, but Karin swung her sword and sent a blast of red lava at the Vasto Lorde. Gulo was launched off the snake, into the air, and rammed directly into Leviathon, who had been fighting with the ice beam from Toshiro. The two were thrown back to the colliseum, which was engulfed with an enormous cloud of dust.

Toshiro wiped his brow with a smile, "Not bad, Kurosaki. Not bad. I didn't expect you to have become so in tune with your zanpakuto alread-" But he stopped mid-sentence when he saw Karin wasn't listening to him. In fact, she wasn't even by his side anymore.

She was by Sonido's.

Karin had knelt beside the Vasto Lorde, who was sprawled out before her. His body was covered in purple bruises and drying blood. The moonlight made the black liquid shine over him as if a coating of shimmery armor.

"He saved me," Karin said softly, looking up to Trigger as if in apology. The girl hollow was riding atop Bawabawa's mask; steering the hollowed snake through the sand, her hands grasping each of its thin white horns. Karin waited for Trigger to turn around and reply, or even to glance her way. But she didn't. "He just...," Karin didn't know how else to explain it, so she stopped.

They sat in silence for a moment, the only sound around them being the gritty rush of the sand against Bawabawa's stomach.

Finally, Sonido emitted a muffled, bloody cough, causing Karin's head to jolt towards him.

"Sonido," She started, but couldn't find the words to continue.

"You," the Vasto Lorde's voice was almost a whisper, "You have your sword once more?"

Karin nodded, her eyes somberly looking at him, "Yes."

Sonido sighed, "Good." He twitched and shifted slightly, "Now...you will be able to end my life properly."

"What?!" Karin yelled out. Trigger's head twisted slightly, her red eye glancing wildly at her partner. Toshiro's face remained soberly blank.

"You...are a Shinigami, no?" He breathed, "Is it not your job...to clense hollows and send them to the other plane of existence?" His voice was labored, as if each word was causing him pain.

"But..." Karin ran a hand through her hair quickly, "Sonido, you-"

"I have little strength left," He said exasperated, "End it now, while you can."

"Sonido, I'm not going to do that." Karin's hands were flat against Bawabawa, her head tilted down at him. "We can get to Nel. She can heal you!"

"I don't think...she can heal me to this extent...in time," Sonido almost seemed to smile as he spoke.

Toshiro gave her a tender glance, "Karin-"

"Shut up!" Karin silenced him, her voice an inch more emotional. Trigger turned back around, her face shielded from them again. Sonido seemed to notice this gesture and chuckled, coughing slightly as he did.

"Trigger and I...knew this would happen...eventually. Please, Karin," She flinched at his calling her by name, "Please do these last two requests for me. As a dying soul...please."

Karin glared at him, "What?"

Sonido sighed, "I want you to break this mask...and then finish me."

For a second, Karin stared at him in curiosity. "Break your mask?"

"Please," He laid his hand onto hers, enclosing Yakyuu in her palm. Karin glanced at him as he did this, then back to the Vasto Lorde.

Karin wondered if she should break the mask with her sword, but then she noticed that the bottom of the mask under Sonido's chin was cracking and chipping away in large chunks. She dug her fingers underneath the bottom of the mask and starting at the chin, she began to lift away segments of white bone. Piece by piece, she gingerly lifted away white layers from the chin, the nose, the side of his skull, the forehead; until the mask was removed from his face.

And then she let out a tiny gasp.

Despite the cuts and scrapes, his skin underneath the mask was porcelain smooth. He had thick, wavy locks of navy blue hair framing his white, chiseled face. The nose was thick but flat, and his eyebrows were equally so. His lips were thick and full, but she couldn't tell if they were puffy from the blood and the cuts or if they had naturally been that way. And then the eyes. The sky blue ice eyes that were once framed in pitch black were slowly fading to white. Almost human white.

Sonido saw her expression and his lips formed a sad smile.

"Do I look that monstrous?"

Karin let out a dry sob, her face breaking into a grin. Her eyes narrowing with the smile, she laughed, "No. Not at all."

Sonido smiled and gripped her hand. He slid it slowly to the side of his face and she touched his cool cheek. He glanced at the sword in her other hand and then back at her.

"Now...it's time, Shinigami."

Karin held the sword at his chest, the tip the blade against his bare skin.

"Will I," She didn't know if she wanted to even ask, for fear of the answer. "Will I ever see you again?"

Sonido's face didn't seem completely sure, "Where I will hopefully end up...I will see you there perhaps." But his voice did not seem entirely convinced. "But-"

Sonido grabbed the blade of her sword and slid it into his chest with a swift strike. The Vasto Lorde let out a gasp and then pulled her closer to him, to where their foreheads were nearly touching. She could smell the blood pouring out of him as he whispered in her ear,

"-I am glad I met you, my Angela de Muerte."

His grip loosened on arm and he began to slip back against Bawabawa, but Karin held onto him and through misty eyes, she smiled at him; her eyes filled with resolve and focus.

"We _will _meet again...friend."

Sonido smiled, his beautiful face lit up by something unlike moonlight. With a sigh glanced toward Trigger, who as Toshiro had quietly observed, had been watching the entire ordeal out of the corner of her eye.

"My Queen," Sonido struggled to speak, as Karin noticed his body was withering to white ashes, "Thank you...for putting up with me for this long."

Toshiro glanced up at Trigger curiously. The girl hollow glance at him for a second, her eye narrowing, then looked away. "Puh," She spat, irritated. "You've been around this human-turned-Shinigami too long."

His body all but evaporated, he let out a simple sigh and smile. He seemed about to say something, but the moment was lost, and the rest of his erupted in a small cloud of white glittery ash.

Karin laid her zanpakuto down against Bawabawa's back, white ash sifting through her fingers from where she'd held him seconds before. She felt as if she should cry, but her body seemed to refuse her desires, leaving a gaping empty hole in the pit of her stomach. Numb, she just stared blankly at her hands.

She felt a hand press against the side of her shoulder, as Toshiro knelt down beside her, giving her a silent embrace. He said no words, no 'You did the right thing,' or 'It's going to be okay.' Just a quiet, wordless hug. There were no verbal language that could be uttered in that moment.

But for a moment, Toshiro glanced up at Trigger, who was steering Bawabawa as if nothing had happened.

He had noticed her while Karin and Sonido were talking. That despite trying to act heartless and oblivious to her partner's expiring body, she was just as heartbroken at her partner's fall.

The streams of tears running from her face down her arms were dead giveaways.

* * *

_**NEXT CHAPTER: Nel! Orihime! Vasto Lordes! Oh...and Ichigo vs. Grimmjow! Yes, you read right.**_

_**Thank you for reading! I appreciate all the support SO much!**_

_**Rock on,**_

_**Romania Black**_


	62. Migrating Souls: Edge of Oblivion

Writer's. Block.

That's all there is to it; I get where I've wanted to be for literally YEARS and then I get writer's block on how to continue/finish.

New Year's goal: Get this fan fiction finished! It's so close. We're entering the climax now.

For those that have stuck with this story, I cannot even begin to thank you enough! Seriously. And for those just joining, please bear with me...I will try to stay on task.

Special thanks to those who had comments/favorites from the last chapter:

**magzgard, pokii1, SandMan29331, mercyn, Night Warrior Shadow (** Thank you so much, Dylan! I hope you like this new chapter; sorry for SUCH the long wait!** ), serratoroceanic, Rainweather, Adapt, pinklollipop, Antex-The Legendary Zoroark, Shade09, lemusj2012, **and **hitsukarin4lyf (**I knoooow, I'm sorry, but it had always been my plan to kill off Sonido! T_T But I'm so glad you liked the chapter! Thank you! )

I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Romania Black

**Chapter Sixty-Two**

**The sunrise screamed in bloody rage  
Scattered ashes in a decaying age**

**I searched for you, last on my list  
To meet you there with bloodied fists**

The moment hung in the air, heavy and damp with the smell of blood that had at once been all around the rag tag team riding atop Bawabawa's backside across the desert. The white confetti of ash had sifted away from them to reunite with the sand below them, as if returning to an old home.

Sonido, the Vasto Lorde who had in the most peculiar way saved Karin Kurosaki's life, was dead.

Had there not been three deadly Vasto Lordes attempting to chase and destroy them all, Karin would have given herself more time to grieve. But glancing around at her fellow Shinigami friend, Toshiro, and at Trigger, Sonido's own companion Arrancar, she realized that if she was going to be of any help, the grief would have to wait.

Toshiro Hitsugaya, who had remained silent for most of their escape from the Vasto Lordes, finally spoke up, "Karin...are you o-"

"I'm fine," She cut him off, her eyes staring ahead into the open sand. "Or," She glanced to him and smiled half-heartedly, "I'm fine for the moment." She grabbed her zanpakuto, Yakyuu, off of Bawabawa's back, "We have more urgent matters to worry about."

"Obviously," It was Trigger's turn to finally speak up, her voice as aggravated as ever. "You've managed little more than to piss Leviathon off beyond compare! I'm surprised every hollow in Hueco Mundo isn't already at his beck and call!"

"Which is what he wants, right?" Karin's one eyebrow was raised higher than the others, "Isn't that what he said?" She looked to Toshiro, who had a curiously blank look on his face, as if to say _why-look-at-me?_

"In a sense," Trigger sighed, hating having to explain. "He wants to invade Soul Society and finish what his father dreamed of starting; which is why the Vasto Lordes were called together. Luckily, we have two factors on our side that he didn't predict." She said with a smug smile of triumph.

"Which is?" Karin tilted her head in confusion.

"One, being the fact that your brother and you are now both involved in the fight," Trigger kicked the sides Bawabawa's head to make him move faster, "and two, the fact that The Elder is no longer seemingly loyal to Leviathon."

"What difference does that make?" Toshiro frowned.

"A lot," Trigger replied gravely, eying the Shinigami Captain. "Some things amongst hollows are thicker than blood or the masks we bear."

* * *

From the clouds of dust and sand and battered pieces of the coliseum, Leviathon rose from the ground with a wail of fury.

"That revolting, vile little whelp of a Shinigami," He fumed, "I was going to use her as a sacrifice to create another Vasto Lorde brethren, but now," He reeled, "I will personally skin her alive and throw her flailing carcass into the sands-" He spun around and grabbed Gulo up from the pile of sand he was buried in by the flaps of his chin skin, "Gulo, where is the Elder?!" He screamed, "Where is the Elder?!"

Gulo slobbered and coughed up bits of sand, "I don't know, your majesty," The Vasto Lorde choked, "The Elder's disappeared."

"Wonderful," Leviathon sarcastically threw Gulo aside back into the sand, and turned to Elsa, the Vasto Lorde Queen who had started breaking free of her lava prison. Crumbles of dark, hardened lava flew off her body into small piles around at her feet. While one hand dusted off the hardened rock, the hand with a puppet swung wildly towards Leviathon,

"Yooouuu," The high-pitched voice shrieked, "boasted and bragged on the simplicity of this procedure-"

"I know," Leviathon sighed heavily. "And I-"

"-Deplored such Vasto Lordes as The Elder and myself to withdraw from the shadows to come to your aid-"

"You did have the option of not following-"

"-NO," Elsa's puppet squealed in rebuttal, "_YOU_," it emphasized, "took the mantle of one of the Four Kings. _YOU _dictated to us how we would have free reign once more; against the decree of the Former ruler, Barragan! Do you deny such former claims?" The puppet coiled around Leviathon's skeletal head.

"I will not deny such claims," The Vasto Lorde said coolly.

"First you dethrone the Western Queen, and then you aim swords against The Elder," The puppet shook its head as if stating, _tsk, tsk_.

"Now, wait," Leviathon raised his hands, suddenly realizing what Elsa was suggesting, "The Western Queen was a threat to the entire balance," he started calmly, "She had to be removed-"

"And when shall The Elder and I be threats to the balance?" The puppet asked simply. There was a pause between the Northern Queen and Leviathon. "That's as I suspected-"

"Great Queen Elsa-"

"You have the entire Menos Grande force at your command," the Northern Queen cut him off, "That should be more than enough for you to invade, shouldn't it?" Elsa turned from him, "That along with your hollow army should be enough...," her voice was softer now, "But I, I like The Elder will shirk back into the shadows and let you pursue this foolish endeavor alone, Leviathon." The puppet turned back and gave a menacing glare to The Great King, "I daresay, though, in doing this you shall surely meet the same fate as Barragan."

With that last statement, she flashed away, leaving only a trace of sprayed white sand behind her.

Leviathon had his skeletal hands gripped in silent rage, Gulo slobbering in confusion beside him; trying to figure out what had just occurred. "Great King-"

"So The Elder and Elsa have left our forces," Leviathon's voice was laced with fury, "So be it. I need them not," He reached down and grabbed the remains of a Hollow's skull that was half-buried in the sand. "Gather the Menos, Gulo. I don't care if I claim the Soul Society at this point..."

Gulo gazed up at Leviathon cautiously, "Great King?"

"I wish now only to crush that pathetic Shinigami's little skull beneath my fingers," His fist enclosed on the Hollow skull and it shattered in his hand. "I want her brother and that white-haired Shinigami to watch as I slowly violate every inch of her skin. Gather them, Gulo. We attack immediately!"

"But, Great King," Gulo drooled, "How will we know where they're going ta be?"

* * *

Leta's long-winded Bankai, Kamisori kaze no akumahaundo, roared and struck the Vasto Lorde Virvi Medusa head-on. The Vasto Lorde shrieked as a funnel of sharp blades sliced into her side, hacking off one of the Vasto Lorde's arms. Howling in pain, the Vasto Lorde skidded away from the wind, clutching its now-bleeding shoulder.

"Finally!" Ichigo shouted, his face nearly breaking into a smile. "We hit her."

"It's not time to be triumphant yet, Ichigo," Yoruichi said gravely. Ichigo glanced toward her, his smile fading as he turned his head back toward Leta.

Standing atop the enormous, beast-like Bankai, Leta looked frailer by the minute. The amount of energy she was pouring into her Bankai was taking its toll; her face was looking slightly gaunt, and purple circles were faintly visible under her eyes. It was as if the Bankai was sucking the life out of her.

"We need to end this quickly," Yoruichi said urgently, "Or Leta's not going to survive using her Bankai to this extent."

"That Bankai was never meant for her," A voice suddenly rang out, which caused Yoruichi, Ichigo, and even Grimmjow to suddenly spin around.

Layla Kamaguchi and Lyall Kamaguchi both stood behind them, with a force of Shinigami alongside them. All the Shinigami soldiers had their zanpakuto out, ready to strike.

"Is this," Yoruichi hesitantly eyed Grimmjow, "what you meant by 'others' arriving?"

"Not at all," Grimmjow scoffed, his eyes narrowed at the Shinigami who were eying him with horror and confusion; clearly wondering if they should attack him as well. "But at this point, what the Hell? We need all we can get."

"Come again?" Ichigo looked to Layla for extended explanation.

"My sister is what you would technically deem a Metempsychis. She's inherited the zanpakuto and will of our father," Layla looked toward Leta, who was struggling to stand atop the monstrous Bankai. "But her body is much less suited to use the weapon of our Father, I fear..."

"Okay, I don't understand this fully," Ichigo cut her off, his brow furrowed in trying to understand her, "But we can discuss this later."

"Agreed," Yoruichi nodded, "What I want to know is where you found all these Shinigami to assist you," She looked around them, "These are not members of the Kido Corps."

"You whelp!" Virvi screamed and launched herself into the air toward Leta, her arm outstretched and ready to strike.

"Oh," It was Lyall's turn to smile, "The Kido Corps are protecting the perimeters to keep the Vasto Lorde from leaving-"

Virvi was suddenly hit with the brunt force of a pink wave of blades, which caused her to fly into the dirt directly in front of Leta's Bankai.

"-These are all members of the 6th Division." Lyall grinned widely as a figure swooped overhead.

Ichigo and Yoruichi turned with wide eyes toward the figure that landed beside them. "Renji!" Ichigo smiled in astonishment.

"Yo, Ichigo," The Vice-Captain tilted his head back to smile slyly at the Substitute Shinigami, "Long time, no see."

Yoruichi breathed, "Then that means-"

Leta's eyes opened in shock as the Shinigami Captain stood next to the fallen Vasto Lorde, "Byakuya!" She called out with a weakened but nevertheless happy voice.

The 6th Division Captain gazed up at Leta with a wary eye, "You shouldn't expend your energy so frivolously," He calmly argued.

Leta had to smile; the Captain was worrying for her sake. _How ridiculous..._ "You're one to talk."

"Indeed," Virvi erupted from the soil bed Byakuya had sent her to, causing everyone's eyes to turn towards the trio next to Leta's Bankai. She flung herself toward the Captain, ready to kick him in the face.

Byakuya glided his hand in front of his face and the swarm of cherry blossom-appearing blades went toward his front to retaliate, but this was part of Virvi's plan. Instead of kicking Byakuya, she touched down in front of him instead and kick-started herself to jump straight up into the air. The cascade of pink flowed in front of Byakuya and disappeared into the abyss of Leta's Bankai's funneling wind.

"Too bad for all of you," Virvi hissed as she flew toward Leta, "I'm not one to be taken lightly!" She didn't land on the back of Leta's bankai, but instead hovered overhead, swiping at Leta who ducked out of the way.

"You sure talk a lot," Leta ghostly grinned, avoiding Virvi's attacks barely, each swipe coming closer to connecting. Leta finally blocked Virvi's arm with hers, as they collided. Leta felt a bone break in her forearm, but hid the pain with a grimace of a grin, "It'll be nice shutting you up for good."

"Captain," Renji called out, noticing Leta's withering spiritual pressure, "We have to-"

"There is no point in us assisting Leta at this point," Layla Kamaguchi interrupted him, "you cannot go near her Bankai," Layla warned, her eyes closed in seeming concentration.

The Vice Captain glanced at Byakuya, who had his eyes similarly closed, then turned to the eldest Kamaguchi, "What are you saying?"

Layla opened her eyes and looked up toward Leta, "You'll see soon enough."

* * *

"You mean to tell me," Karin raised an eyebrow at Trigger, "That if The Elder isn't on Leviathon's side, then neither will the other Vasto Lorde?"

Trigger sighed loudly, "How many times do I have to keep explaining it? It's an all or nothing situation; Leviathon wanted to invade the Soul Society and convinced The Elder to do so. The convinced the Northern Queen Elsa to join as well. What Leviathon didn't realize was that The Elder only joined Leviathon as a way of protecting Sonido, who had been the loyal companion of the Western Queen Rosmerta Unoumbria."

"Which...is you," Karin cautiously added, causing Toshiro to spin his head towards her in surprise.

Trigger did not like her saying this aloud, as evident by her tense frown. "He told you that?"

Karin nodded, assuming 'he' referred to Sonido.

"I was once," Trigger slowly added, "But I don't remember being...myself. I do recall an explosion, and something ripping," She shuddered, and then shook her head, "But all I remember after that is Sonido carrying me and telling me he and The Elder would protect me. That is all." She sighed, dropping the subject, "The point is, now that Sonido is...gone," it was Karin's turn to flinch, "The Elder sees no point in remaining loyal to Leviathon."

"And where does this other 'Queen' fit in, then?" Toshiro crossed his arms, joining the conversation.

"Elsa doesn't really care about anyone," Trigger shrugged, "She's horrifically traditional and sadistic, but she is fickle. She knows now that if you can break her power," She was looking directly at Karin, "once, you can do it again. And that's enough to make her nervous. No doubt she's left the fray and retreated into the shadows once more."

"Will Leviathon still attack now that he doesn't have the two Vasto Lordes on his side?" Karin asked, her black hair flapping in the wind.

"He's too arragant not to," Trigger nodded, "Plus he has a vast army of large hollows and Menos Grande on his side."

The two Shinigami looked shocked, "What?" Karin paled; Toshiro's eyes were saucers.

"Even if he doesn't take over the Soul Society, a force like that could cause significant damage," Toshiro definitely showed concern in his voice.

"Of course," Trigger gave a cautious eye to Karin, "But now, his sighs are more than likely going to be designated toward you and your brother for making a fool of him on his own territory."

Karin could have guessed this though she didn't like the sound of it at all, "Great. So what do we do? Go back to the Soul Society and rally the Shinigami?" She looked to Toshiro for an answer, but Trigger was the one to reply first,

"We will do that...eventually." Both turned to her in confusion, "But first, we need to make a stop."

Bawabawa suddenly spun in the sand, stopping itself sideways; Toshiro gripped Karin by the waist and held her alongside him. The substitute Shinigami felt her cheeks burning as she was close to Toshiro's chest. She wasn't used to this behavior by him...or any young man for that matter. She didn't dare look up to see what his face looked like at that moment.

"Come on, quit huggin' you two," Trigger sneered, jumping down off the hollow worm's back and marching toward what the two instantly realized were part of the Las Noches ruins. Toshiro and Karin broke from the seeming embrace, though neither would look at each other. Instead, they hopped off Bawabawa and followed Trigger curiously into the ruins.

"What are we-" Karin began to ask, but stopped short when she saw the two figures who were standing in front of Trigger. Toshiro's face was filled with equal shock.

Standing directly in front of Trigger was the adult-sized Neliel Tu Odelschvank and Orihime Inoue, looking almost as confused as Toshiro and Karin.

"Orihime? Nel?" Karin managed to inquire, before Trigger abruptly cut her off.

"You want to stop Leviathon from wrecking the Soul Society? Then first thing's first," A tiny gleam lit up her rose-colored eye, "You're going to help resurrect the Rosmerta Unoumbria."

* * *

Leta was struggling to maintain her balance, her face paling as the pain from her freshly fractured forearm escalated throughout her body. Virvi noticed her expression and put just a touch of tension on the fracture, causing Leta to grind her teeth to keep from screaming.

"Awwww," The Vasto Lorde sinisterly cooed, "Does that hurt, little Shinigami?"

Leta, despite all her efforts, finally let out a large exhale in pain and forced herself to lunge away from Virvi, the result of which sent her flying backward and rear end-down onto the back of her Bankai. Breathing hard, she immediately lowered her sword and grasped her arm to her chest.

The Vasto Lorde let out a bark of a laugh through her gnarled mask, "Oooh, finally coming to the limits of your power? Aw, too bad," Virvi sneered, "I was just starting to have fun with you. But now," She swished a tentacle of hair off her dismembered shoulder, "I think it's time I pay you back for my missing arm...in full."

Ichigo and Renji looked with panic between the Captains and Kamaguchi's.

"What are you all waiting for?" Ichigo yelled at them furiously, Renji nodding, turning to Byakuya,

"Captain?"

"You two are ignorant of Layla Kamaguchi's words," Byakuya replied irritated, his eyes closed.

"And mine," Yoruichi chimed in, giving Byakuya an aggravated look. "When she first activated her Bankai, I warned you two to back away from Leta...there's a reason for that," She ended quietly, intently looking toward Leta, which caused Ichigo and Renji to do the same.

"Now," Virvi Medusa, who had not been privy to the discussion below, set foot on the back of Leta's Bankai. "Let's end this, shall we, Shinigami?" She reached down and gripped Leta by the collar of her kimono, raising her in the air with one hand.

"I will say one thing," Leta weakly looked down at Virvi, her eyes half-open, "this is the end," She slowly reached her uninjured hand to grab the forearm of the Vasto Lorde, "of you."

Virvi Medusa gave a roar of a laugh, "Oh is that right?" She chuckled, and brought Leta towards her face, to the point where Leta could smell the rotting flesh between her teeth, "How do you come to such a conclusion?"

Leta's eyes were suddenly wide as she looked Virvi straight in the eyes, "Because you've touched my Bankai."

Black chains, black as the soil Leta's Bankai had arose from, emerged like shadows from its back and slithered around Virvi's ankles. The Vasto Lorde suddenly realized what was happening. Leta took her free arm and pointed it at Virvi's chest, "Bakudo 61: Rikujōkōrō!"

Six triangles of light wedged into the chest of the Vasto Lorde. She gritted her teeth and tensed against the hold of the Kido. "This will not hold me-"

"Oh, I know," Leta smiled mischieviously, a flash of her trademark grin flaring against her weakened state, "But it'll hold you long enough, won't it?"

She tilted her head and smiled as the black chains drug the Vasto Lorde backward, up the Bankai-beast's head and downward into the spiraling twisters of tiny blades. Virvi shrieked as she was thrown into the violent wind and kept howling in agony until in one fell swoop, the monstrous dog-like head snapped her into its jaws with a loud crunch that made the Shinigami below flinch in their steps.

Renji blinked, his expression stunned, "Did her Bankai just..."

"-Eat the Vasto Lorde?" Ichigo finished the sentence for him, his mouth slightly gaped open.

Yoruichi placed her hands on her hips with a slight smirk, "It would appear that way, wouldn't it?"

Layla didn't look that satisfied though, her and Lyall's eyes focused on Leta's tiny figure amidst the massive Bankai.

Leta herself stood almost dumbfounded in the moment, her feet sprayed wide under her as she clutched her broken right arm. Her hair undone and matted to the side of her face in sweat.

"I-I did it-I-we beat her," Leta smiled faintly at her Shinigami friends and family below before crashing to her knees.

* * *

**NEXT CHAPTER: One Vasto Lorde may (finally) be gone, but what about Grimmjow? What are Neliel and Orihime going to do with Karin and her companions? You'll find out next chapter! **

**Thank you for reading! I appreciate all the support SO much!**

**Rock on,**

**Romania Black**


End file.
